Love of an Enemy
by xReadItAndWeepx
Summary: Mimato. He was a Vampire Hunter. She was a Vampire with a Soul. Natrual enemies, they shouldn't have fallen in love. They did anyway. Too bad everyone around them is trying to tear them apart.
1. Japan: Three Hundred Years Ago

**Author's Note: **I know I said I wouldn't post this until I finished at least one of my other stories but I've been having a lack of inspiration recently so I thought this would help. Before I start I'd like to thank everyone the reviewed the original version. This chapter is dedicated to all of you.

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_You see I can not be forsaken_

_Because I'm not the only one_

_We walk amongst you feeding, raping_

_Must we hide from everyone?_

"Forsaken," David Draiman (_Queen of the Damned _movie soundtrack)

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**Japan: Three Hundred Years Ago**

Life isn't fair, plain and simple. Every day was one damned thing after another and the next day was just a repeat of the last one. This happened over and over in the three hundred sixty-five days in every year. In all honesty life's a bitch than you die.

Some sooner than others…

Twenty year old Tachikawa Mimi hated her miserable lot in life. Sure she was pretty with long honey hair and bright cinnamon eyes, she had the ability to bring people together, and men would kill to have her, but that was entirely the problem.

Mimi was a prostitute, that worked in Yoshiwara, or as it was nicknamed "the floating world". The place was frequented by people who wanted escape from their mundane lives, and even more by men looking for geishas or prostitues. People who went there usually disguised themselves so no one who recognize them.

Unlike the geishas, who were women who trained in the arts of pleasing men entertainement wise, such as music and storytelling. Mimi had been once since she was fourteen after she had been sold by her family. She had been born into a disgraced samurai family who had lost most of their dwindling fortune. To support themselves they sold Mimi and part of the money she made went to them.

She sighed as she walked down the street to the Green Dragon Teahouse where they requested her most. A party was on and that usually drunk, unruly men looking for a good time. Fantastic for them and awful for her…

She hated her life and hated herself with even greater intensity. A lot of the time she felt so unclean after what she had been made to do. Mimi had lost her virginity to the highest bidder at fourteen and been subjected to all kinds of men ever since. Sometimes she wished she could end it all, but she always caught herself before she could.

She was pathetic…

Mimi shivered and glanced behind her quickly. There was no one there but she couldn't get rid of the feeling that someone had been watching her ever since she left the brothel.

She entered the tea house and kicked off her shoes as soon as she stepped over the threshold. A fake smile, no one could tell though, plastered itself on her face and she walked over to a group of men that had been staring at her in an obvious manner.

A few hours later she and the group of men were deep into a piece of news that had found its way to their home. Up and down Japan people were being found dead and drained of their blood. People were unsure of if the culprit, or culprits, were some kind of animal or robbers.

"Tachikawa!" shouted a high breathless male voice. She turned her head slightly to see a fat bald man with watery blue eyes motioning for her. His large stomach protruded past the belt he wore. "Come here!"

The contempt she felt for the man who ordered her around like a dog rose in her chest and she bit her lip to keep from saying something nasty. Having no choice she turned her back on the group and headed over to the fat man.

The men groaned behind her and she turned for a split second to flash one of those smiles that killed her more every day. "Don't worry. I'll be back later," she finished with a little wink.

She turned and hurried over to the impatient looking fat man. "Yes Honda-San?" she asked with all the politeness she could manage.

He replied coldly, "A man has asked for you personally. He is paying extra for your services."

Oh yes of course money, the driving force behind all of Honda's decisions. True he demeaned young women without a second thought but money made it all better. It was what made the world go round after all.

Not trusting herself to say anything else, Mimi left to go to the room Honda pointed out. She stumbled a little; the sake she had been drinking was starting to affect her. Dodging drunk men and serving girls she turned down a side corridor away from the party.

She walked down the silent corridor, stopped at the very last door, and slid it open. She stepped into the brightly colored room and was surprised to see it empty of life. A table was in the center and a bottle of sake and a bouquet of flowers rested on the surface.

Out of the corner of her eye someone moved and the door slid closed with a bang. She turned around sharply to see a man dressed all in navy standing behind her with his arms crossed. He was twenty-two at the least with shoulder length blue hair, pale skin that suggested he hadn't been in the sunlight for a long time, and intelligent black eyes hidden behind glasses. A friendly smiled was on his face.

He bowed to her and she returned it. "I've been waiting a long time to meet you Tachikawa Mimi."

"Do I know you?" she asked uneasily. There was something off about this man, something not right. "Have we met before?"

"Not face to face." He paused for a second and added on, "Some friends of mine recommended you to me. I wanted to see why they liked you so much."

She nodded and took a second to clear her throat. "What is your name?"

He smacked himself on the head playfully. "Where are my manners? My name is Kido Jyou but my friends call me Joe."

She smiled shyly. "Then I'll call you Joe." He took her by the hand and led her over to table. She shivered at his touch; his skin felt as cold as death.

Against her better judgment she drank the sake he poured from her. Her mind was in a complete haze after the fourth glass and thankfully he stopped pouring glasses for only her.

"It's hard isn't it?" he asked suddenly. She steadied herself by leaning her hand on the table and attempted to drag her brain into conversational mode.

"What is?"

He gave a small, sad smile. "Life. You and I have something in common: we both despise it with all our hearts. Many people will never understand what it's like for us. How hard it is to just get out of bed every morning…"

Tears formed at her eyes and Mimi swallowed hard to keep them at bay. Yes, it was hard for her to get out of bed every morning knowing what she had to put up with every day. She had to hear insults from proud women and deal with men forcing themselves on her.

"I know what it's like to be trapped in a world you hate with no one to save you," he continued. "Every day is only twenty-four hours but it feels longer. And you only go to bed to get up the next morning and do the same things."

She nodded unable to form any words. He reached over and squeezed her hands. "But I got away and you can too. You have so much potential don't waste it by staying here. Just say the word and I'll deliver you from this."

"Yes."

He smiled widely and leaned in close to her. Something about him made her pull away slightly but he grabbed her hands and brought her closer to him. He whispered, "This will only hurt for a moment."

His face turned grotesque: his brow protruded and became scaly, his teeth grew into fangs, and his eyes once black turned feral yellow, the eye color of a predator.

She opened her mouth to scream but he clamped a hand over it to silence her, and swooped her off the floor and into his arms effortlessly. She struggled against him, pounded her fists on his chest, but it was no good. Slowly he lowered his face to her neck and sank his teeth into her jugular vein.

Scenes played before her mind's eyes but they weren't drawn from her memories, they were from his. She saw a blue haired little boy getting yelled at and beaten by his father while his two brothers looked on. The same little boy grew older and he was taken away by a nice merchant and sent to a school. But a few years later he was taken away by his brothers and all of his books and papers were destroyed while he silently weeped. Years passed and at twenty-two a man mugged him and left him to die on the side of the road. He was slipped away but then a woman came and sucked blood from him and cut her own wrist open to let him drink from it.

Everything dimmed, the memories slipped away, and her heart slowed down until it stopped beating almost entirely. The world blackened and she felt herself rise from her body but Jyou thrust his cut open wrist in her mouth; blood flowed into her mouth and she gulped it down eagerly. He stumbled after a few moments and tried to pull it away but she clamped onto it tighter and sucked the red substance.

Forcefully he pushed her face away and dropped her onto the floor. Her head connected with it and she felt herself loose consciousness.

He stood hunched over, staring at her for a few long moments; he had actually done it. For the first time he had sired another vampire and it was successful. She would be his when she woke up because she couldn't leave him. She had to learn how to be a vampire and would be completely dependent on him for guidance.

He picked her up off the floor and held her in his arms like one would cradle a baby. A lock of hair fell on her face and he brushed it away gently. She stirred a little in his arms but did not waken. Good, that would make the next part easier.

He slid open the back doors and stepped into the cold winter air. A rosewood coffin lay peacefully where he rested it when he tracked her down here. He opened it and tenderly lowered her onto the velvet lined interior. Her features glowed sadly in the moonlight and he slowly closed the lid.

A few feet away he dug a hole into the earth, shallow but still deep enough to burry the coffin in it. He dropped the coffin into the hole, filled it, and tampered with the disturbed dirt to make it look normal.

This was part of the vampire's initiation. Only the strong were allowed to survive and walk the face of the earth eternally. The weak would not be able to break out and left to starve to death sixth feet under.

Jyou sighed and sat cross legged on the ground. There was no telling how long it would take her to break free so he would have to stay here for a little while.

On that night Tachikawa Mimi died.

The Angel of Death was born.

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**Author's Note: **Well that was much better then the original one. So until next time: please read and review. I do not accept flames.


	2. Light Side of the Force

Disclaimer: I still don't own Digimon. Does anyone know where I can find a magic lamp?

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_The world is a vampire, sent to drain_

_Secret destroyers, hold you up to the flame_

_And what do I get for my pain?_

_Betrayed desires, and a piece of the game_

"Bullet With Butterfly Wings_,"_ Smashing Pumpkins

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**Light Side of the Force**

He walked slowly, every step he took was deliberate, so as not to make any noise to alert the vampires inside the building. He walked the perimeter of the old warehouse and took his position in the alleyway, next to the window.

He pressed himself fully onto the wall and moved his head so he could glance into the room. Inside were three vampires dressed in brown monk robes tied together with a coil of rope; their hoods were pulled up so he couldn't make out their appearances. They were standing at different points of a triangle drawn on the floor in what he guessed was unicorn blood; it shimmered silver so it couldn't have been human.

Unbidden the voice of one of his teachers floated into his head: _"The blood of a unicorn has many magical properties, but it is hardly ever used because it will most likely bring a curse on the spell caster.For they had slain something so pure for their own selfish purposes." _

He clenched his fists when he caught sight of the girl standing in the center of the triangle. She had long blonde hair that had become scraggly looking and misted over green eyes; her captors had drugged her. Her clothes were dirty and torn in a few places and her hands and feet were bound by rope; she could hardly stand straight without toppling over. He estimated that she was sixteen at the most, just a kid.

He brushed a lock of his blonde hair from his eyes and crouched down on the cold ground. He checked the readout on his watch and waited in the dark for the go ahead. The signal would be green sparks sent up by Yagami Hikari, his best friend's younger sister and the resident witch on the team.

He caught sight of himself in a slightly dirty mirror, frowned, and ran a hand through his shoulder length hair to give it more of an unruly look. His eyes were an icy blue and his skin was pale. He had whipcord muscles and he wore black boots, black jeans torn at the knees, a dark HIM tee shirt, a black leather jacket, and a silver earring dangled from his left earlobe.

A little farther down the alley, light green sparks illuminated the end, and he could just barely make out the figure of a girl in the distance. Sighing he tightened his grip on the stake and kicked open the side door of the building. One of the vampires had a knife blade pressed to the girl's neck, and he jerked away as the door blew off its hinges and fell to the ground.

"Hi honey. I'm home!" he quipped and the tallest vampire, the one holding the knife, glared at him and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Hunter". He grinned at the disgruntled demons. "Nice setup you got here, but if you really did want a ritual you're missing the boom box blasting death metal."

The tall vampire tugged his hood off and his features were distorted by the vampire feeding face. He had black hair in a military cut and pale skin. His eyes had become the yellow of the demon face so the original color was undistinguishable. He was five inches taller than the Hunter and his well carved muscles bulged under the robe.

The blonde smirked at the vampire. "Pull your hood back up, you look much better with it on."

The tall vampire roared and lunged forward, the knife pointed at the blonde's chest. The vampire plunged theblade at his chest but he blocked it with his forearm and grabbed hold of the vampire's wrist. He twisted the struggling vampire's wrist behind him and the knife clattered to the floor. He kicked it across the room and twisted the vampire's wrist harder and he could hear the sound of something snapping.

Suddenly a hand knocked into his jaw and he let go of his hold on the tall vampire. He glared at his opponent, "Your friends don't have manners. Oh well I'm sure my friends will knock some into them."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when two figures crashed through the windows, righted themselves, and attacked the other two vampires.

The first was a man his age with brown hair that reminded anyone that looked at him of Goku, warm chocolate eyes, and tan skin. His hair was held back by a blue headband and a pair of goggles. He wore a blue coat, a navy tee shirt with a golden star on the center, blue jeans, and sneakers. A silver battle ax was clutched in his fist.

The second was a woman with shoulder length orange hair and ruby eyes. Her skin was tanned and she had an athletic build. She wore a black duster, red tee shirt, jeans, and brown boots. In each hand she held a dagger.

The tall vampire was momentarily stunned by the scene of his allies being practically beaten into the ground by two unexpected guests, and the Hunter took the opportunity to kick him on the face. The vampire's nose broke and he grabbed it as blood started to spurt out. The Hunter quickly drove the pointy shaft of wood into the demon's chest and a second later the vampire had deteriorated into ash.

"Nothing but dust in the wind," he mused. He looked over to his friend's and decided that they didn't need any help. The woman had spin heel kicked a Chinese vampire and plunged a dagger through his heart. The man had knocked the last vampire into the wall and effortlessly decapitated her. "You guys were late."

"Sorry Yamato," apologized the woman who had placed her daggers into their sheaths on either side of her belt. "But someone just had to finish eating a burger before helping a friend."

The other man rolled his eyes at her. "I didn't see you complaining when I was sticking my tounge down your throat, Sora."

"Taichi!" Yamato leaned against the wall; arms crossed over his chest, and watched the small argument in amusement. Taichi Yagami and Sora Takenouchi often fought and they would always make up within three minutes. That'd never change.

Taichi noticed the expression on Yamato's face and narrowed his eyes. "Let's finish this later, Sor…"

"Oh that's alright!" Yamato waved Taichi's words away. "Just pretend I'm not here."

Sora rolled her eyes as her boyfriend stepped towards the blonde. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back, "Tai let it go. He's only joking and we have bigger problems right now."

He shook her hand off but didn't step forward towards Yamato, he only sent a cold glare the blonde's way. Sora muttered something that sounded a lot like "Men" and headed towards the girl to undo her restraints. The teenager stumbled around after the restraints were pulled off and collapsed on Sora.

The orange haired woman smiled down at her sympathetically and gathered the girl in her arms, where she lost consciousness. She tilted her head to the triangle and asked, "Have you ever seen a ritual like this?"

Yamato shook his head. "Maybe it's in one of Kari's books."

Sora nodded and led the way out of the building, the sudden blast of the cold January air hit them hard, but the girl didn't wake up. On the street across from the building was a blue van and girl in her late teens was leaning on the hood.

She looked up at them as they approached a light smile on her face at the sight of all four of them alive and still in one peace. She had dark brown hair that just reached below shoulder length, chocolate eyes that mirrored Taichi's, and tan skin. Her attire consisted of: a pink coat, yellow tee shirt, light blue jeans that looked brand new, and sneakers. A silver cross was around her neck. This girl's name was Hikari Yagami, Taichi's younger sister.

"So what happened in there?"

Taichi sighed as Sora rested the unconscious girl in the very back of the van and Hikari slid into the seat next to her. He and Sora sat in the middle row and Yamato took his place in the driver's seat. "The vampires were doing some kind of ritual," the witch's brother answered. "They drew a triangle in unicorn blood and were about to sacrifice that girl before we stepped in."

Hikari opened the leather-bound book in her lap abruptly and Yamato's nose was suddenly filled with the scent of libraries. She flipped through the pages quickly until she stopped half-way and said, "A sacrifice to the demon snake Machida for good luck. Apparently every fifty years Machida requires the blood of a young girl and rewards the demons that present him with it." She wrinkled her nose in disgust and snapped the book shut. "Man, the demon world is so sexist!"

Yamato chuckled quietly but knew better than to say anything with both Hikari and Sora in the van. He did want to keep all of his limbs attached after all. After a few minutes he stopped the van in front of a shelter, left the girl on the steps, and knocked on the door.

The next stop was Taichi and Hikari's apartment building. The now bickering duo exited the car and Yamato was about to pull away when Sora got out too. "I'm gonna walk home," she told him.

"Are you sure? I'll drive you; it's not a big deal."

She shook her head. "There are some things I have to think about."

He nodded and pulled away from her; he watched her walk down the street in the rear view mirror. Yamato considered going back home but quickly decided against it. The night was still young after all.

He took a left and ended up parking in front of a crowded club. The bouncer nodded to him as he passed and he strode inside, taking in everything. The dimly lit room was packed with people dancing or sitting at round tables drinking. Yamato sat down at the bar, successfully dodging every attempt at dancing, and ordered a beer.

The bartender was a woman with creamy skin and dark hair curling about her face. She brought back the glass filled to the top and established eye contact with him. "Are you Yamato Ishida, front man for the Wolves?"

Inwardly Yamato groaned. Women flocked to him because he was the lead singer and guitarist of the band he had formed during high school, the Wolves, and because of his devilishly handsome good looks. He wasn't being conceited, just honest.

Before he could reply a hand fell on his shoulder and a female voice addressed him, "There you are honey! I've been looking all over for you!" He turned his head to see a rather beautiful young woman standing behind him and before he could say something she whispered out of the corner of her mouth, "Play along and I'll get you out of this."

He grinned at her, wrapped his arms around her slim waist, and pulled her down onto the stool beside him. "Sorry I'm late. Work was murder." He turned back to the disappointed bartender, "She'll have what I'm having."

With a dejected expression the bartender placed a beer in front of Yamato's rescuer and left to go help other customers. The woman sipped the drink and he took the time to study her. She had honey colored hair with pink highlights that reached mid-back, and two side bangs framed her delicate face. Her eyes were a cinnamon color and her skin was pale. She wore a black leather jacket, a pink tee shirt that didn't reach her naval, low-rise jeans that fit snuggly on her legs, and black shoes. A green tear shaped necklace was around her neck.

"Thanks," he finally got out after a few minutes of studying her.

She raised her hand to wave away the comment. "It was my pleasure. I guess I'll have to stick with you unless she gets suspicious."

"There are worse things. So what's your name?"

She smiled at him mischievously. "Guess."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Can't you just tell me?" She shook her head. "Why not?"

"It's much more fun this way." He glared at her but her smile didn't leave her face. "You really should get a sense of humor." He rolled his eyes and tilted his head back to finish his drink in one shot but he almost choked at her next works, "But I guess you lose that fast in your line of work."

Normally this comment wouldn't have much of an effect on him but this was different. The way she said it implied that she knew more about him then he was comfortable with. "Excuse me?"

This time it was she who rolled her eyes. "Please I'm not stupid. You're a Hunter."

Yamato kept eye contact with her but his hand dropped to his belt where his stake rested in its loop. She watched his movement out of the corner of her eye, "Don't worry. I don't bite."

He slowly raised his hand and rested it on the counter; his eyes stared at her intently. "What do you want?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "What do I want? Enough money for a lifetime shopping spree, a nice house in the country, and world peace. But mostly I want to kick evil ass."

She placed a hand on his right arm and a tingling sensation rose from under her hand and moved up and down his entire arm. "Something's coming Yamato; something big. You're going to need all the friends you can get."

"I already have enough friends."

"Who said I was your friend?" She winked and removed her hand from his arm; he instantly wanted her to move back. "I'll be seeing you."

She merged into a crowd of people heading towards the exit: he sprang to his feet, and hurried after her, colliding into other people along the way. He burst through the door and looked wildly down both sides of the street.

But she had disappeared…

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**Author's Note: **I wanted to do the original meeting between Yamato and Mimi like this; it's much more Buffy/Angel than the last one. But I couldn't get it out right before.

**Reviews: **

**JyouraKoumi: **…

**Anthony1: **Sorry that won't be until a little later.

**Dark's Assasin: **Thank you.

**Lycosyncer: **I'll go more into Mimi's past later in the story. I was saving the part about the Order of Gehenna for Razorblade Kiss or the last part of the saga. I'm making this darker than the original.

**Gallantmon of the Hazard: **Yeah there'll probably be some surprises.

**Dbzgtfan2004: **Thanks.

**XxbluemoonxX: **Thank you.

**Catwarrior: **Sorry about that.


	3. Set Apart

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except the plot of the story.

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_Why is everything so fucking hard for me?_

_Keep me down to what you think I shall pay!_

_Must you tempt me and provoke the ministry?_

_Keep on trying I'm not dying so easily_

"System," Lestat (_Queen of the Damned_)

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**Set Apart**

There are many things that one takes advantage of when one is young. Like feeling the warmth of the sun on one's skin, sunsets and sunrises, or just the simple feeling of belonging…

Mimi sighed as she stared at her fellow pedestrians as they talked and laughed and at the young couples holding hands. None of them knew what lied just beyond them in the darkness. They only gave her a berth because it was their bodies' natural reaction to shy away from her and all others of her kind.

Ignorance is bliss…

She stuffed her hands in her coat pockets and gazed up at the sky. It was black, the color of the night sky. She wished it were blue, the color of they sky at day. The one she could now only glimpse in movies or television.

Her body stiffened as she felt the presence of eyes on her back. She turned her head ever so slightly to see no one, but the shadows could hide many things. A familiar presence clouded her mind and just as suddenly went away.

It was him…

Mimi darted into a small, well-lit café on the side of the street and chose to sit in a two person table next to the window. She could be seen easily by anyone passing by on the street.

Three minutes later hewalked in and sat on the chair opposite her. His appearance hadn't changed at all since that night three hundred years ago when they first met. He still wore his blue hair shoulder-length and hid his eyes behind silver framed glasses. He wore a long black coat, a silk blue button up shirt, and black pants and shoes.

"Hello Jyou," she said with no emotion in her voice. "It's been awhile."

He nodded with a wistful expression on his face. "How long has it been? Thirty or fifty years?"

"One hundred."

"Much too long." A pause and then, "So I've heard you've been busy."

She shrugged. "Places to go, people to see, and demons to kill. You know how it goes…"

His onyx orbs narrowed at her. "Actually I don't. Care to enlighten me?"

She rolled her eyes in irritation. "You were there, Jyou. You know what happened."

"Oh I know what happened all right! That bitch put the _spark _back in you and it does nothing but burn." He smirked at her. "The last I've heard of you before now you were insane and eating rats to stay alive."

A flush rose on her normally pale face and his smirk grew. Mimi didn't usually blush easily and he knew it. "I've gotten my priorities straight." She glared at him. "You have a lot of nerve coming up to me. Wasn't the last thing I said to you: I'll kill you if I ever see you again?"

"I've learned that idle threats from you are just that. Idle…"

They sat there in silence for a few tense moments. She glared at him and he stared back at her coldly, neither showing any sign that they had once been in love with the other. Finally he broke the silence by asking, "You're siding against us aren't you?"

"Of course."

He shook his head in disappointment. "You don't get it anymore." She stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "I know what you've been doing. You run a company in New York, eat food even though you don't need it, drink the blood of animals instead of humans, and kill demons. You act like one of them!"

Jyou threw his hands up in the air in frustration when she did not try to deny his accusations. "But you're not one of them! You're different and you'll always be different. Set apart…"

Mimi rose from her place and headed for the door. "Goodbye Jyou." She had one foot out the door when she turned back to say, "The next time I see you I'll have to kill you. And in case you're wondering, that one's not idle."

She strode through the crowds of people on the street, knowing he would not follow her anymore that night. The sky had lightened a little; sun rise was in a few hours. She'd have to get back to her loft soon.

Unnoticed, a single Blood Tear ran down her cheek…

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**Author's Note: **Yes, I know this chapter was short, but on the bright side this was a scene never put in the original version of the story. Anyone who can guess where Jyou's line about idle threats came from will get an imaginary plushie. Until next time: please read and review.

**Reviews: **

**Anthony1: **Sorry I didn't do either. But Daisuke should be in the next chapter or two.

**Catwarrior: **Thanks.

**Gallantmon of the Hazard: **I count. LOL

**Lycosyncer: **Yeah, I've got some suspires in store. I think you'll like them…

**Bluesv20: **Thank you.

**Dark's Assasin: **You can never go wrong with a Harry Potter reference.

**JyouraKoumi: **…

**XxbluemoonxX: **I like the newer one better then the older one too.

**Arch Butterfly: **Welcome back to the Digimon fandom.

**Angel: **I'm not sure if this one will be longer yet. Razorblade Kiss is the sequel to both versions.


	4. Eyes of a Stranger

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon. I just like writing about it.

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_And I raise my head and stare_

_Into the eyes of a stranger. _

_I've always known the mirror never lies. _

_People always turn away from the eyes of a stranger. _

_Afraid to know what lies behind the stare. _

"Eyes of a Stranger," Queensryche

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**Eyes of a Stranger**

_I had the dream again last night. The same one I've been having for four straight months: I'm fighting someone that's hidden in shadows, I get mortally wounded, and as I'm lying in a pool of my own blood I manage to trap the other person in some kind of portal. _

_This is freaky. With every night the dream gets more and more vivid; I can almost make out the features of the other person. I think it's a woman. But why do I have it and why is it getting stronger now? _

_I can't shake the feeling that something big's coming. Like I did when Takeru died and I'm scared. I can't handle losing someone else. _

_-excerpt from the journal of Yagami Hikari _

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Hikari shut the small leather bound book and laid it on her oak desk. She peered around to check that no one, namely a nosey older brother, was around and thumped a select spot on the surface. On the underside of the desk a secret compartment dropped down, she placed the journal inside it, and pushed it back into place. It blended with the desk so well that only someone who knew it was there would be able to find it. 

She sighed and made sure her room was tidy, unlike her brother's, and did a spot check that all her magical objects were right where she left them, before braving the rest of the apartment.

Her room was abnormally neat but almost every other room in the apartment looked like a tornado had passed through it. She had to maneuver around food cartons, magazines, dirty clothes, and some kind of fungi before getting to the hallway where her coat and bag were.

She had the door opened halfway when she remembered her usual morning chore. Without turning around she yelled, "Taichi breakfast is ready!"

At the word "ready" a loud banging sound came from Taichi's room and her older brother, completely dressed, stumbled out and looked around wildly. When he realized there was nothing cooking he grumbled and slouched over to the kitchen.

Hikari rolled her eyes and ran down the hallway to the elevator before Taichi could insist on walking her there. He had become very overprotective ever since _it _happened. Everything changed after _it _happened…

She shivered as she stepped outside but not from the cold. Eyes staring at the ground she walked to the end of the street and down the subway steps. She bought a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin as she waited for her train to arrive.

Next to her stood a slightly, older man with greasy black hair, piggy little eyes, and pockmarked skin. He had a somewhat muscular build and wore worn sneakers, faded jeans, a black coat, and a pair of black gloves. She shifted on her feet nervously when he stared at her.

A wicked smile formed on his face. "Hey babe how's about you and me have a little fun?" He stepped forward and she backed up a little.

"No thanks. I'm kinda busy."

He grabbed her arm tight and she searched her panic driven mind for a spell but no came to her. "C'mon. It'll be fun."

"I believe the lady said no."

She and the man looked behind the man to see a boy Hikari's age, eyes traveling from Hikari to the man with a frown on his face. The older man said, "Go back to the sandbox you came from, kid. This ain't any of your business."

The man turned back to look at Hikari but the boy's fist connected with his face. There was a horrible crunching noise as fist met bone and the man fell back clutching his nose, gushing blood. "I don't think you heard me," said Hikari's hero. "The lady said no."

"I heard," gulped the older man. The boy cracked his knuckles threatingly and the man decided it would be wise to run away.

Hikari took this time to study her rescuer. He had a tan, handsome face, warm brown eyes filled with emotions too intense for her to look at, maroon colored hair styled in spikes, and an athlete's build. He wore a pair of square goggles on his head, a brown leather jacket, a black tee shirt that showed off his well sculpted chest, jeans, and sneakers.

He turned to look at Hikari, the anger leaving his eyes and concern replacing it. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

She stared at him for a second and then realized what she was doing and looked away, blushing. "No. I'm fine."

He grinned. "That's good. I can't stand people like that." He extended his hand for her to shake and introduced himself, "I'm Motomiya Daisuke. But you can call me Davis," he added with a wink.

She managed to smile and took his offered hand. "I'm Yagami Hikari. But it's Kari to you and everyone else."

"Hey would you like to get something to eat or something at the vending machines?"

He seemed like a really nice guy; she was going to regret rejecting his offer. "I'd love to," his face lit up, "some other time." His face fell and she added, "I just have to make my train,-"

He put up a hand to silence her. "It's okay. I understand." Before she had the chance to make some sort of reply a beeping noise sounded from his pocket. He reached in and in one motion grabbed his cell phone and flipped it open. "I've got to take this. It's for work."

She called out goodbye as he walked back up the stairs to get a reception. He raised a hand for goodbye and disappeared from her range of sight.

Her train pulled up at the platform and it was when she was sitting down, staring out the window that she realized why she couldn't stare into his eyes. They were a reflection of her own.

* * *

Motomiya Daisuke, even with all that had happened to him in his life, was not a believer in destiny. And for someone who's fought vampires and demons, and seen magic that's saying a lot. He especially did not believe in it that day. 

This had not been his year. First his promotion was put off because he was believed unready for it, and then he had been transferred from America to Japan. The only good thing was that he was able to speak Japanese fluently or he'd have quit before they could send him.

Sometimes he wondered if fighting evil was really as great as everyone made it out to be…

After saving that pretty girl from that perverted old man and being briefed on his mission by his superior officers, he found himself sitting in the dean's office of Tokyo University. The dean was an old man that made Daisuke instantly think of a librarian that wore bifocals and a tweed suit. He had salt and pepper hair.

The dean's mouth was currently open and droning on and on about how Daisuke would enjoy it there. The portfolio of fabricated information on schools and different credentials was open on his desk and he flicked through it every so often.

Daisuke was aware that the man was speaking but he was too bored to really pay attention anymore. He was brought back to reality when the old man shut the portfolio and stood up. Daisuke hurriedly followed suit and shook the man's hand. "I hope you find the school adequate, Mr. Motomiya."

"No worries. I think I'll like it here."

He hurried out of the office, afraid the dean would start talking again, and down the hallway past classrooms of teachers giving lectures. He just started here so he'd have no classes today. Without anything else to do, Daisuke went to the library and browsed through the shelves.

Most people thought Daisuke was the stereotypical jock: all brawn and no brains. In reality he was quite intelligent but usually had trouble listening to his common sense. He loved sports and doing more hands on activities but he did enjoy a good book too.

He had turned to look in the Fiction section when he spotted her. She was sitting at a table next to the windows, textbook and papers out, scribbling furiously while her eyes flickered to the book and back to the paper.

He sat down across from her and coughed quietly but loud enough to hear. She looked up startled but when she saw it was him, her face became a mask of seriousness. "Are you stalking me?" she asked in a no nonsense tone of voice.

His left eyebrow raised and was about to deny the accusation when he saw she was fighting back a smile. He smirked and retorted, "You wish."

"So what are you doing here?"

"I'm going to school here."

"No way!" He shrugged nonchalantly. "This is pretty weird running into each other twice in one day like this. Maybe it's destiny."

He snorted and she gave him a confused look. "I don't believe in destiny. I don't like to think that I'm not in control of my own life. You know?"

"I know what you mean."

In that moment chocolate orbs met burgundy ones and Daisuke had not trouble believing her. Her eyes mirrored his own…

**

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**Author's Notes: **I'm going to focus on this fic a little more than Razorblade Kiss since I've lost the inspiration for it. I've already got the ending plotted out but I kinda forgot how I was getting there. Until next time: please read and review.

**Reviews: **

**XxbluemoonxX: **Thank you.

**Anthony1: **You don't have to apologize. It happens sometimes…

**JyouraKoumi: **…

**Gallantmon of the Hazard: **Thank you.

**Angel: **It's okay. I like this version better too.

**Dark's Assasin: **Thanks.


	5. Slouching Towards Bethlehem

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plot.

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_I've given my life to become what I am,_

_To preach the "New Beginning",_

_to make you understand. _

_To reach some point of order, Utopia in mind,_

_You've got to learn to sacrifice, _

_to leave what's now behind. _

"Speak," Queensryche

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**Slouching Towards Bethlehem **

As he watched Hikari go through her workload to finish three reports, Daisuke wondered why the Order had to make him impersonate a college student. They had even given him a major: Literature. On the bright side they had allowed him to join the soccer team.

Going to class every day seemed to be a waste of time for him when he could dedicate himself more to training. Wasn't the eradication of vampires more important than homework anyway?

He sighed quietly and rested his head on the table. Everything had been so normal two years ago. He had his family, friends, soccer, and no idea that vampires and demons really did exist in the shadows of the world. He had dreams of playing pro soccer but that all changed in one day…

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_Sixteen year old Daisuke walked carefully back into his family's apartment, careful not to make any noise to alert anyone to his presence. Last night he and his father got into a huge fight and he had stayed out all night. His parents were probably about to royally chew him out… _

_Surprisingly no one was home, not even his annoying older sister, Jun. He flopped down on his couch to give his eyes a rest but ended up falling asleep. He ended up sleeping for two hours and awoke by the ring from the telephone. _

_He was still alone in the apartment and had grown worried. Jun, at least, should have been home already. Expecting it to be his parents, he answered the phone. "Hello?" _

"_Is this Daisuke Motomiya?" asked a curt, male voice. _

"_Yes. What can I do for you?" _

"_You need to come down to the police station immediately." _

"_What? Why? If it's because of the soccer ball I was going to pay for it! I just forgot!" _

"_No, it's nothing you've done. It's your family…" _

_He panicked again. "What's wrong with them?" _

"_They're dead. I'm sorry…" _

_The phone fell to the floor and Daisuke stood staring at the wall in shock. Tears streaked down his face and his knees gave out…_

* * *

For months after that Daisuke's life had taken a turn for the worse. He got into fights, skipped school, and experimented with drugs. The police brought him home to his foster family many times. He had been threatened with juvenile hall and jail. Nothing fazed him… 

Then one night he had been throwing rocks at the windows of cars when a British man came up to him and offered him a job. The man explained to Daisuke what really murdered his family and the sixteen year old had readily agreed.

Now he was here. Stuck in a place he hated, in a thankless job, and had no friends or family. What an example of a life well lived….

"Davis. Do you want to go to the cafeteria?" asked Hikari while shutting her book and putting it in her bag.

He smiled and placed a hand on his stomach. "I thought you'd never ask." She laughed and linked arms with him on the way out of the library. Maybe he was getting closer to having friends after all.

* * *

Yamato raked a hand through his hair in frustration as he stood in the doorway of an empty classroom. It figured; when he really needed to talk to the others he could never find them. It was like some kind of conspiracy… 

He hurriedly flattened himself against the wall as some girls known to be rabid Wolves, or more likely Ishida Yamato, fans walked down the hall. Sometimes being famous was a pain in the ass…

The girls disappeared around the corner and he went back to his original position, eyes searching out a bush head among the crowd. Five minutes later Taichi came barreling down the hall, with Sora walking just fast enough to keep him in sight, and Yamato grabbed him and pulled him inside the classroom.

"What's the big-oh, hi Yamato." Sora peered into the classroom, saw Yamato, and joined the two. "What's up?"

Yamato ignored him and went back to staring intently out the door. A few minutes passed and still nothing. Ten minutes passed and he was about to just tell Taichi and Sora when he spotted her. Hikari was walking towards the cafeteria arm and arm with some spiky haired boy Yamato had never seen before.

The two were talking to each other raptly but Hikari shook her head at something he said and lifted her head in Yamato's direction. She caught his eye and he made a "come here" gesture with his hand.

"Davis, I'll meet you in the cafeteria. I just remembered I forgot to talk with a teacher."

The boy, now identified as Davis, nodded and continued on ahead without her, hands in his pockets. She adjusted the strap on her messenger bag and rushed towards the classroom where the others were.

"What's going on?" she asked them.

"We don't know. Yamato hasn't felt the need to tell us yet," replied the leader by mutual agreement, Taichi.

The blonde musician sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Last night after patrol I went over to a bar for a beer and successfully dodged every attempt at dancing. Then I got to the bar. The female bartender started to come on to me but then this woman comes up and pretends to be my girlfriend to get the bartender off my case."

He paused for a minute in remembrance. The woman had been about twenty, her hair shined when the light would hit it, and he could still smell the scent of her perfume: roses.

"We get to talking and she makes an offhand comment about my job. Normally that wouldn't have meant much but she knew I'm a Hunter." Hikari gasped, Taichi narrowed his eyes, and Sora stared at him sharply. "She tells me that she's a friend, and something big's coming, then she goes and pulls a Houdini."

"That's a great story Yamato. Now what's the X-rated version," quipped Taichi. Sora smacked him on the back of his head.

"How could you make a joke at a time like this? This is serious."

He grimaced and rubbed the back of his head while his sister chuckled quietly and Yamato smirked. "I was just trying to lighten the mood. No need to be so violent, Sor." His chocolate orbs regained their seriousness and he stood up straighter.

"You didn't get this girl's name?"

Yamato shook his head. "No, she wouldn't tell me," and for some reason he felt a stab of annoyance. Who did that girl think she was? Almost every other woman threw themselves at him (one had thrown her thong at him during a concert) but she wouldn't even tell him her name. That wounded his pride worse then anything else had.

Taichi sighed. "Well, we'll just search for her by appearance then. You can remember what she looks like right?" he asked his best friend in a condescending tone.

Yamato was famous for having one-night stands and not remembering too much about the women he was with. The blonde frowned at him. "Yeah, I can. I'm not a retard like you."

Taichi was about to lunge at Yamato but was stopped by Hikari throwing a small ball of bright blue energy at him. "Would you two stop it?" she demanded. "We don't have time for your stupid male driven fights. We have to find out about that woman and if there's really some Big Bad on its way."

Taichi rubbed his shoulder, where the energy ball had hit, and snorted. "We can handle anything that's thrown at us. It's what we do and always will do."

Yamato bit his lower lip to keep from making some smartass comment that would end in exchanging blows with his best friend. Though if he knew Taichi, he would probably make Yamato pay the next time they were sparring.

The others left but he sat down in a desk by the window. The sun leaking inside from the window felt good on his skin and he allowed his thoughts to wander. Ironically they went back to last night when he had met _her_.

She had very honest eyes and he couldn't help by feel she was being sincere when she warned him about something coming. And if he knew how reliable mysterious sources could be, this could really mean something big and nasty was on its way.

_Slouching towards Bethlehem… _

* * *

Jyou could remember from the moment he started reading Yeats, that the "Second Coming" was definitely his favorite poem by the writer. And it his current situation so well… Something was slouching towards Bethlehem to be born. 

And he and his cohorts were going to be the ones responsible.

He stretched and searched threw the many rooms of their hideout for the two younger vampires. Every room was decorated in crème colors and all the blinds were down to shut out the sunlight.

He found them in the living room. Ichijouji Ken was sitting on the couch and watching television with Inoue Miyako sitting on his lap.

Ken played into the human perception of what vampires were like very well. He had chin length navy hair and blue eyes. Every article of clothing he wore was black except for a silver chain that he wore around his neck and disappeared into his shirt. He wore biker boots, leather pants, a muscle tee shirt, and a black leather jacket.

Inoue Miyako had long lavender hair that reached almost waist length and brown eyes almost exactly the same shade as Mimi's. She wore black heeled shoes, a long black skirt with a slit in the side, a red blouse, and a black coat that resembled the old frock coats.

They looked up when he let out a small cough and shifted position a little so that he could sit next to them. "How're the plans going?" asked Ken. "Everything going to be on schedule?"

Jyou smiled. "Actually a little before schedule. We should be able to do the ritual in either February or March. The vampire I have in charge of it still isn't sure about the exact date."

Ken muttered something that sounded like, "We're surrounded by incompetence," and Miyako nodded, a distant look in her eye. "I've been studying the tarot cards. They say change is on the way."

Jyou beamed. The tarot cards were even supporting him…

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**Author's Notes: **I wasn't going to put a scene with Ken and Miyako in it yet but it kinda happened when I was writing the chapter. Please tell me if the chapters are getting hard to follow. Until next time: please read and review.

**Reviews: **

**Anthony1: **I changed my pen name because "irish vampire" wasn't the pen name I wanted originally; the one I wanted was taken so I had to settle. But I finally came up with a better one. Are you putting up your new fic soon?

**Gallantmon of the Hazard: **That wasn't even the meeting I had in mind for Daisuke and Hikari. It just came out like that but I'm glad it did. I liked it.

**Dark's Assasin: **Thank you.

**Bluesv20: **Thanks.

**JyouraKoumi: **…

**Catwarrior: **Thank you.

**XxbluemoonxX: **I like this one better too.


	6. Interlude

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plot.

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_I tear my heart open_

_I sew myself shut_

_My weakness is that I care too much_

_My scars remind me that the past is real_

_I tear my heart open just to feel_

"Scars," Papa Roach

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**

**Interlude **

Mimi paced the floor of her loft listlessly. The sun was up so all the windows had been shut and had the blinds pulled over them. By all accounts she should be resting, but no. She had fed three days ago so she could last another three before having to drink again and her business was running smoothly. (In fact it just acquired two Monet paintings.)

She paused to glare at shielded sunlight before resuming her pacing. If she wanted to go out so badly she could have taken the tunnels underneath the city but she'd rather kiss a snake then go down there. The smell was atrocious!

She let out a frustrated sigh and pushed a lock of hair out of her face. Since Jyou had talked to her last night she had been having an excess of energy. She couldn't sleep but insomnia wasn't new to her. Ever since that fateful night a hundred years ago her past haunted her every time she closed her eyes.

Mimi strode into her room and flopped down on the pink and white bed. Might as well try to sleep before she met up with the Hunters. Her eyes shut and she was no longer in the present but in early eighteenth century Japan…

_Mimi opened her eyes slowly to see nothing but blackness. She groped around her to find that she was lying down in a small enclosed space. Claustrophobia hit her and she began banging on the wooden lid of the coffin. _

_A burst of strength flowed through her body and she felt her face change. Stopping her attempts at breaking out for a moment, she brought a hand to her face and felt it. Her brow had protruded and felt scaly and her teeth had grown longer and sharper. _

"_What happened to me?" Scenes flashed before her of Jyou, him drinking her blood, her drinking his, and her losing consciousness. "I'm a vampire…" _

_A smile crept onto her face as she said that. The words sounded so right. She pulled her fist back, punched through the lid of the coffin, and right on through to the surface. After a few moments she created a space big enough to crawl through and lifted herself onto the ground. _

_Mimi rolled onto her back and just lay there observing the world around her. Everything had changed yet at the same time stayed the same. All the colors had a new depth that she could have never seen with her human eyes, she could hear a whispered conversation down the street, and she was able to see everything as clearly as if it were daylight. _

"_Mimi, you broke out!" She lifted her head to see Jyou smiling at her. "I knew you would!" _

_She glared at him and his smile wavered a bit. "Sorry about the burying you alive thing. I had no choice it's tradition. Every vampire must break out of a coffin so only the strongest survive." _

_The tone of his voice softened her a bit. "What happens now?" _

"_I'm your Sire. I have to teach you everything about being a vampire and then you can leave if you want. I can't stop you." _

_She nodded, allowed him to pull her to her feet, and brushed off the dirt and grime from her face and clothes. "Let's feed. I know someone you'll like." _

_He pointed inside to Honda and the same eerie smile crept onto her face as she stared at the man's neck. Revenge is sweet… _

* * *

Hikari walked into the cemetery and stopped in front of a tombstone under an oak tree. She placed a bouquet of sunflowers in front of it and read the epitaph.

**Takeru Takishi**

**1987-2003**

"**A hero dies once; a coward dies many times." **

She reached out a shaking hand and carefully traced the letters of his name etched forever into that slab of marble. Tears blurred her vision and her breathing became ragged.

It wasn't supposed to be like this; he wasn't supposed to be dead. He was supposed to be with her and live a long happy life. She wasn't supposed to be sitting in front of his memorial grave…alone.

That night two years ago was so often on her mind that it could have happened yesterday for how many details she could recall. He had died that night. She had killed him…

_Hikari awoke slowly a bump the size of Tokyo on her head and blood trickling slowly down her face. She was lying on the cold floor in the midst of five other people, all of whom had looks of horror on their faces. Standing in the doorframe of the room was a blonde boy with light blue eyes and extremely pale skin. He wore a white Gilligan's hat, a green tee shirt, a pair of silver dog tags, blue jeans, and a pair of beat up sneakers. _

_He gave her a sickening smile. "Good morning Vietnam! Now that you have graced us with your presence the show can start!" His face contorted: his brow protruded and became ride-like, his eyes changed into a feral yellow, and his teeth grew longer until they became fangs. _

_Tears welled in her eyes. "Please don't do this, Keru." _

_He ignored her and sized up the other hostages. "Who wants to be the first to die? Now don't be shy," he whispered as a teenage girl slightly older then Hikari backed away from him, "you'll all get a chance." _

_Without warning, Takeru picked the girl off of her feet and sank his fangs into her neck in one fluid motion. A stern looking man, presumably her father, roared and charged at the blonde vampire, but Takeru slammed him into a wall with one punch. A sobbing woman, probably his wife, leaned over his slumped form. _

_Takeru dropped the dead girl to the floor and repeated the process with her father and finally her mother, whom didn't put up a fight. Hikari's face had become the color of sour milk and her entire body convulsed with terrified shivers. Next to her a couple clung to each other for some sort of security in this dark time. _

_She gave another attempt at reasoning with the vampire. "Please stop, Takeru. Let me help you." _

_He laughed but his eyes maintained their hardened cruelty. "Do you think I'm stupid, Hikari? I'm dead. No one can help me now." _

_Her hand groped for the stake sheathed in her belt loop and covered by her shirt as she continued their conversation. "No one is beyond help. Not even the dead." _

_Her feet lifted off the ground a few inches as his strong fist wrapped around her throat, and she gasped for breath. "I always loved that about you! No matter what you always remain optimistic. But you're stretching really far today…" _

_Fighting against the blackness she pulled out the stake and clumsily plunged it into his heart before he could let go. Her body tipped backwards but she was able to remain standing. _

_His eyes swiveled down to the shaft of wood pointing out from his chest in mild surprise. "Damn," he muttered before his body disintegrated into nothingness. Tears streamed down her face and she let herself fall back into darkness…_

* * *

Daisuke walked down the brightly lit hall and nodded at a few people dressed all in black. That was the uniform for the Order: a long black duster, a black long sleeved shirt with the crest on the chest in silver, and black leather pants, and black knee high boots. All members carried a sword.

He checked his watch, blanched, and continued down the hall at a more strenuous pace which was just a little less then a full out run. Without breaking stride he barreled through a door on the far left and stepped inside an indoor forest. Plants of every kind thrived and the sounds of fountains could be heard in the distance.

He strode down a roughly made trail through the foliage and came upon a clearing where some of the pages were fencing. Something tightened in his chest and he stopped out of view to watch them.

A Chinese girl around sixteen had the upper hand against a thirteen year old boy with straw colored hair and green eyes. She kicked the boy's legs out from under him, sending him sprawling on the ground, and pressed the point of her sword to his chest.

"You lose. Not bad for a newbie though," she added while helping him to his feet.

The boy flashed a determined look, one that Daisuke himself wore a lot, and accepted her hand. "What are you talking about? I had you there for awhile!"

The two walked away bickering and Daisuke slumped out of the plant cover and onto the clearing. That sparring match was like watching an old home movie of his early days. That boy was the representative of the old version of himself that wanted to breeze through training and get right to eliminating vampires.

It didn't turn out quite that way. The Tribunal didn't want to initiate him because they felt at sixteen he was too old to join them. However they were forced to and Daisuke had a hard time with them ever since. They had taken away his promotion and re-located to Japan.

He sighed at his pathetic excuse for a life and continued towards his destination: the training room. The Tribunal called for extra hours of practice since they wanted him to work alongside the Hunters if the situation called for it.

That was saying something since the Order and the Hunters had been separated for thousands of years…

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**Author's Notes: **I know this chapter seems like a filler, which it technically is, but some of this information will be used later on. Until next time: please read and review.

**Reviews: **

**Anthony1: **You'll see the other Order members.

**Lycosyncer: **There'll be more development on the villains and more violence later. There'll be some new scenes too.

**Dark's Assasin: **Something really bad.

**Gallantmon of the Hazard: **Thank you.

**Bluesv20: **Thanks.

**JyouraKoumi: **…


	7. Under the Cover of Darkness

**Author's Notes: **No, I'm not dead. I'll try to update my stories more frequently I promise.

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_I'm just a freedom fighter_

_No remorse_

_Raging on in Holy War_

_Soon there'll come a day_

_When you're face to face with me_

_Face to face with me_

"Freedom Fighter," Creed

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**Under the Cover of Darkness **

The next time he saw her she was standing over a dead body.

That really shouldn't have been much of a surprise for him since at the bar she openly told him she knew all about the world of the supernatural. So when he and the others arrived at a crime scene and he spotted her close to the body he was only mildly surprised.

The body was a Japanese male with short, curly brown hair and skin that was slowly paling as the time passed. His eyes were closed so Yamato wasn't able to see the color and he was lean. On his neck was the tell-tale mark of a vampire's fangs that the coroners and police never seemed to pick up on.

Yamato held up an arm to stop Hikari, Taichi, and Sora and nodded in the direction she was standing in, "That's the woman I told you about. Let me do the talking."

Taichi, abashed at being ordered around when he was the leader, opened his mouth to comment but Yamato was already walking away from them. He sighed loudly and followed behind the blonde with Sora and Hikari.

"We've really got to stop meeting like this," said Yamato to Mimi. "I'm sorry but I don't recall getting your name."

She smiled at him. "That's funny Yamato because I don't remember giving it to you." Her eyes flickered to his friends. "I get to meet your friends. It must be my lucky night."

Yamato opened his mouth to reply when Taichi pushed him slightly out of the way and extended his left hand to Mimi for her to shake. She took it and he said, "I'm Taichi Yagami, my little sister Hikari," Hikari nodded even though she scowled at being called little, "and my girlfriend Sora." Sora raised her right hand in a small wave. "And you are?"

"Mimi."

Yamato's eyes narrowed in irritation. "I thought we had to guess your name."

"No, I said you had to guess my name. I didn't say anything about anyone else."

Yamato's mouth formed a reply but Sora cut him off. "So what do you think about this? Will that man become a vampire?"

Yamato smirked and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for her to answer Sora's test. If she answered correctly she was one of them; if she didn't she was probably a newbie.

Mimi stared at them incredulously for a second before it dawned on her why they were asking her that question. She nodded, tilted her face to examine the body, and explained, "Vampires rarely sire other vampires because they're loners and they have very high standards. They only want the best. So most people like this poor guy are just dinner. Did I pass your test?"

"Yeah…flying colors," Yamato muttered taken aback. "Are we just going to stand around all night?"

"Patience is a virtue, Yamato. We'll get to that in due time, but first I have to talk to all of you."

"About what?" asked Taichi with his arms crossed over his chest.

"About what's coming. Have you noticed a rise in paranormal activity lately?"

Sora nodded rubbing her forearm gingerly as though she was in pain. "Yeah, there's been a lot more vampires around than usual. You know what's causing it?"

Mimi didn't answer at first. Instead she stared at Sora with her left eyebrow raised and asked in concern, "Did you hurt your arm?"

Yamato started and shifted his gaze from Mimi to Sora; a frown curved on his lips when he noticed his friend's death grip on her arm. Sora bit her lower lip and pushed up her sleeve to reveal at least five stitches on her lower arm.

Taichi, his overprotectivness kicking in, pushed past Yamato and gently examined Sora's arm. "What happened? Are you ok?"

Sora removed her arm from his grasp and pushed her sleeve back to its original position. Still noticing his worried expression she answered, "I'm fine. I just got bit by this really big dog a few days ago. No big deal."

She turned back to Mimi and repeated the question. Mimi's eyes flickered past them, searching for someone, and motioned them into an alley.

"The question isn't 'what's causing it', but 'who's causing it'. Three vampires named Kido Jyou, Ichijouji Ken, and Inoue Miyako. They're planning something and when they're behind something you know it's gonna be big."

Hikari nodded and spoke for the first time since meeting Mimi, "You've dealt with them before I take it?"

"We've…crossed paths before."

An evasive tone, looking past them, and shifting on her feet slightly indicated there was a lot more to that story than she was telling. Yamato's mouth formed to ask a question but he shut his mouth before he could get it out. He knew what it was like to not be able to speak about things.

Cinnamon orbs met his and for a second held his stare before lifting past him and fixing on to something behind him. Before he could react Mimi had knocked him off his feet with her lying on top of him.

He was about to yell at her when over his head Sora sent a stake through the heart of a female vampire, the one who had killed the man from earlier. The ash scattered around them and he breathed a sigh of relief.

That was also when he realized that she was still lying on his chest andtheir faces wereinches apart; their noses were almost touching. Blue eyes found hers again and his face became very warm.

Hurriedly she leapt to her feet and held a hand out to pull him up. Somewhat dazed he accepted her help and shakily got to his feet. Around Mimi Taichi was sniggering and Hikari was giving him a thumbs up while Sora was the only one being nice and not mentioning the embarrassing scene.

Still even he had to admit that her lying on top of him wasn't that bad…

* * *

Daisuke clung to the shadows, moving slowly and deliberately so not to broadcast his presence. The docks were shut down for the night but the locks on the fence had been yanked off and the fence was off its hinges. 

Vampire 101: Vampires prefer to hunt in dark, secluded places and pick off their victims one by one.

Ignoring the casted away locks he crept silently towards the piers. His ears picked up the sound of something being dragged on the ground and he pinpointed it to the farthest pier on the left. He ran forward, his feet barely touching the ground for more than a second, and five vampires moving a large wooden crate came into his vision. One other vampire stood in front of them shouting orders and not noticing the consternation on his crew's faces.

Vampires plus crate with unknown contents equals nothing good.

Daisuke slowed his pace to a walk and clutched the hilt of his sword in his left hand. Deciding the time for secrecy was in the past he shouted to the overseer vampire causing all the vampires to stare at him in shock.

This shock lasted for five seconds as the head vampire shouted to the rest, "Take that to the bosses, I'll deal with this little pest."

He stepped towards Daisuke and the Knight was able to distinguish the vampire's appearance. He was tall and extremely well built; his arms were the size of tree trunks. He had short black hair, pale skin, and sea green eyes; he wore a black coat, a white wife beater, a pair of old jeans worn almost to whiteness, and black boots.

"Little pest? That really hurts man."

The vampire didn't answer and his face morphed into the grotesque feeding face that humans weren't aware of until it was too late. He lunged at Daisuke and the young man barely had enough time to draw his blade when the vampire's fist connected with his face.

Daisuke toppled back a few feet before the vampire was on him again; fists colliding with every inch of Daisuke's body he could reach. Finally having enough of being a punching bag he kicked the vampire hard in the stomach causing the undead bastard to drop to his knees.

Before the vampire had a chance to get up Daisuke swung his sword and cut the vampire's head off in one clean sweep. The vampire's head and body collapsed on themselves leaving the tell tale ash as the only evidence that he was there at all.

Daisuke firmly gripped the hilt of his sword and turned to the other vampires. One problem; they had taken the fight as a cue to leave. He swore loudly and ran the perimeter of the docks but he was completely alone.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

* * *

Far away from where Daisuke was the vampires lifted the enormous crate into a warehouse and dropped it on the floor in relief. From the other side of the room Jyou strode towards them, eyes scanning both the crate and the group itself. 

"What happened to Derrick? I put him in charge of you."

A female vampire proved herself the boldest when she answered, "Derrick was killed in battle with a Knight when we retrieved the crate. We were able to escape while they were fighting."

Jyou shrugged unconcernedly and muttered darkly, "No big loss. I never liked that vampire." He turned towards the crate and ran a hand along its surface, a twisted smile on his face.

"It's only a matter of time now."

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**Author's Notes: **Sorry about the long wait for the next chapter. The funny thing is I already know how almost every chapter will go but I have trouble getting it down. Please read and review.

**Reviews: **

**Gallantmon of the Hazard: **Don't worry you will.

**Anthony1: **Thank you.

**Chocoboba: **Thanks.

**JyouraKoumi: **…

**Catwarrior: **Thank you.

**Dark's Assasin: **Thanks.

**Yachtzee: **Nice use of pun.


	8. Traitor

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plot.

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_I cannot take this anymore_

_I'm saying everything I've said before_

_All these words they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Less I hear the less you'll say_

_But you'll find that out anyway_

_Just like before _

"One Step Closer," Linkin Park

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**Traitor **

Daisuke merely stared at the man sitting behind the desk, aware that the blonde's lips were moving but not able to make out any words. Unaware the twenty year old blonde man with blue eyes went on talking. The man was handsome with curly blonde hair, pale skin, electric blue eyes, and wore the uniform of the Order.

Daisuke wondered if the slightly older man could feel the waves of extreme dislike emanating from his body. He drummed his fingers on his left knee and continued to study the way the man's mouth formed words; he was beginning to get the gist of the rant.

"Motomiya by letting those vampires get away you've put us at a very big disadvantage. Though I'm sure you had your reasons," finished the man in a tone that made Daisuke want to knock a few of his teeth loose.

Restraining himself slightly he replied, "With all due respect Sir Michael, you have no grounds for admonishing me. Since you've never been on the field of battle," he taunted and added a smirk for good measure.

Michael flushed horribly and looked like he dearly wanted to strangle Daisuke. "Motomiya I am your superior officer, I can have you discharged for that remark. Not that your current status and civilian life are that different."

That did it…

Daisuke abruptly stood, walked towards the door, and before he went out he gave Michael a smile that looked painful. "You're really shouldn't insult me. Since I beat you in a duel that would make you even lower than me."

Losing all control, Michael cursed at the top of his lungs and threw the paper weight on his desk at the younger man, but the door had already shut behind him. Trying to calm himself down he stared out of his window down at the city.

"He has a point you know," interjected a voice from behind him. Startled, he jumped around only to have the man's fist collide with his face and he slumped to the ground.

He was able to make out the face of a blue haired man before slipping into darkness…

The first thing Michael was aware of was the feeling of being upside down. He could feel the blood rush to his head and he slowly opened his eyes. The next thing he sorely wished he hadn't…

The blue haired man was holding him by the ankles over the ledge of a roof twenty-stories up. Down below the pedestrians looked like little toy people and the vehicles were only passing blurs of sound and light.

Resisting the over powering urge to vomit he asked the man, "Why are you doing this?"

Right in front of his eyes the man's face contorted into the one of a vampire and he felt a spasm of fear. The vampire smiled and said, "My name is Jyou Kido and I am in need of your assistance. If you help me you will have power and riches beyond your comprehension but," he glowered down at Michael for good measure, "if you refuse I will crush you like the bug you are."

"I'll help you!"

Jyou's face reverted to normal and he slowly pulled the blonde man back onto the roof. Michael flattened himself to the surface as Jyou retrieved a silver lighter and a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his coat; in seconds a plume of smoke was diffusing through the air.

A minute passed before Jyou outlaid all parts of his plan to Michael and what the human's job was. No detail was left out and no way for the Knight to misunderstand any of it.

After the disclosure Michael's skin had turned unhealthily pale and the urge to vomit was stronger than ever. Shakily he stumbled towards the exit when Jyou grabbed him by the arm and turned him back around.

"There's one more thing I need. A book from your Order's archive."

"Which one?"

Jyou told him and Michael wished he had not asked. One thing became quite clear to him as he staggered back to his home though. Daisuke had been right about him.

He was as low as dirt.

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**Author's Notes: **I'm sorry this chapter was so short but this was as long as I could make it. I wanted to explain why Michael started working with the vampires since I failed to explain it properly in the original version. Please read and review.

**Reviews: **

**Gallantmon of the Hazard: **You're right.

**Catwarrior: **Thank you.

**Anthony1: **Thanks.

**Dark's Assasin: **Merci.

**Bluesv20: **Arigato.

**A Devil in Heaven: **Welcome to Love of an Enemy.


	9. New Feelings

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plot.

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_You look so fine_

_I want to break your heart_

_And give you mine_

_You're taking me over_

"You Look So Fine," Garbage

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**New Feelings**

Daisuke stretched and blinked as the sun fell into his eyes as he walked from his dorm to the Student Union. A breeze picked up and he pulled his jacket tighter around himself; he picked up his pace and jogged through the door.

The Student Union was part café and campus store. The right half was a coffee shop and the left half was filled with text books, campus sweatshirts, and items necessary for classes. Chairs and tables were set up through out the place.

He scanned the crowd of people and made out Hikari sitting next to the window on the left. A cup of coffee and a half-eaten chocolate chip muffin sat in front of her. He quickly grabbed a bagel and a coffee and slid into the seat across from her.

Her eyes snapped open in alarm but a soft smile crossed her face when she saw Daisuke. "Hey…I haven't seen you a lot this last few days."

"I had trouble with work. My boss and I got into a disagreement but I put him in his place quickly. You?"

"Work too. We had to help the new girl adjust to the office."

They fell into a comfortable silence. The rays of the sun cast a golden hue over Hikari's hair and he found his eyes drawn to her. She met his gaze and held it for a few moments. Heat rose to his face and his hand reached across the table to brush against her smaller one.

Electricity rose from his fingers all the way up to his shoulder blade, leaving a comfortable numbness in its wake. She shivered, retracted her arm, and hurriedly grabbed her leather messenger bag off the floor.

"I have to go, Davis. I'll see you later."

She strode away from him and out of the door without looking back once. He sat there rigidly; eyes staring at the place Hikari had once occupied, and grabbed his own bag. The numbness still hadn't gone away…

* * *

Hours later Yamato leapt down from a tall, oak tree in the park and landed in front of Mimi. An expression of annoyance marred his handsome features and he raked a hand through his blonde hair.

"Where the hell are they? They were supposed to meet us here for patrol an hour ago!"

Mimi stared at him in silence and leaned against the trunk of the tree. She sighed and kicked at the ground in front of her. "They ditched us."

He blinked at her. "What? Why?"

"Why do you think?"

He stared at her in bewilderment for a few seconds before realization dawned on him. His hand dropped to his side and a flush of red appeared on his normally pale face. He opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, and shut it again.

She giggled. "It's not that bad. You don't have to look so horrified."

"It's not that….it's just when I get my hands on Tai!" The blonde could picture Taichi laughing at them and he felt his blood pressure rise.

A cold hand fell on his shoulder and he almost jumped as Mimi's face appeared only five inches away from his own. "So what now? You going home or are we going to have that date after all?"

"Um…I…that's-,"

"You really have a way with words. Did anyone ever tell you that?" His mouth formed a reply but it died on his lips as she took his hand in her own and led him over to the bench. She dropped down onto it and raised an eyebrow at him. "So…"

He sat next to her but stared down at his feet. "So…" His left foot tapped the ground restlessly and he slowly raised his eyes to her face. "Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why do you do this? Why do you hunt vampires and demons? You could be doing anything you want and you chose this life. Why?"

Several emotions, he couldn't identify, appeared on her face and were gone so quickly that he thought he imagined them. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her body away from him.

Afraid that he had overstepped his boundaries, he parted his lips to speak but she placed her index finger to them, silencing him. She leaned in to him and he shuddered as he felt her lips move as she whispered, "Forgiveness."

She pulled away from him and walked towards the park exit. He stared at her retreating form until she had disappeared from his line of sight and retrieved his cell phone from the pocket of his coat.

He dialed in the familiar number and drummed his fingers on the bench as the other line rang. _"C'mon. For once in your life get off the computer and answer the phone." _

On the other end a young man with short red hair, pale skin due to hours spent working indoors, black eyes, and a small build blinked at his phone. He reached over in puzzlement, his close friends knew to email him, and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Koushirou, it's Matt. I need a favor."

Koushirou licked his lips and answered, "Fine. What is it?"

"Have you ever heard of anyone named Mimi Tachikawa?"

"Who hasn't? She owns a very powerful business over in America and makes a lot of donations to charities. She's in the news a lot. Why?"

A sigh came from the other end. "She's helping us with some vampires named Jyou Kido, Miyako Inoue, and Ken Ichijouji."

"No shit?"

"No shit. So I need you to look in all of our records for anything about her. Anything to explain what a billionaire is doing killing demons every night."

"I'm on it."

There was a click on the other end and just like that the conversation was over. Koushirou blinked before turning back to his computer screen.

"Whatever happened to saying goodbye?"

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**Author's Notes: **That's all for now. I have a revised version of an older story of mine called 'No Day But Today' out right now, so please check that out as well. Please read and review.


	10. Coming to Terms

**Author's Notes: **Sorry, I didn't update sooner. I've been kind of lazy lately. I don't own Digimon.

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_How do you leave the past behind_

_When it keeps finding ways to get to_

_Your heart_

_It reaches way down deep and tears_

_You inside out_

_Til you're torn apart_

"Rent," Company, _Rent _

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**Coming to Terms **

Michael sighed and nervously wiped the sweat of his brow. He strode down the hallway quickly and stood in front of the entrance of the library, hesitant to go in. If he did his task he would betray the order he served his entire life and if he didn't Jyou would…well he didn't want to think about what Jyou would do to him.

Releasing a breath he had no idea he was holding in, he pushed through the doors and stared around at the vast room. The walls and floor were made of solid gold and the hundreds upon hundreds of bookshelves were all made from the finest mahogany.

Then there were the books themselves. Some were written in tongues most humans would not understand, some were so old they looked as if the slightest touch would reduce them to a pile of dust, and still others appeared to have the eerie quality of being made from human parts, such as skin.

He climbed the ladder leaning against the row nearest him and stopped two-thirds of the way to the top. Eyes searching the shelf carefully he smiled and removed his prey from its rightful place. He shivered as he studied it; the cover of the book appeared to have been made out of patches of different human skin, the words on the cover had been written in blood, and the lock across the center seemed to have been crafted from the bones of some demon.

"Bonsour Michael!"

Startled, he jumped and stared down at the young woman leaning against the bookshelf. She was incredibly attractive with long, blonde hair, pale skin, and ocean blue eyes; she was dressed in the Order's traditional black but her clothes were a little more revealing than most of the conservatives would have found appropriate.

He unstuck his throat and muttered, "Hello Catharine."

Catharine crossed her arms across her chest and watched as he descended the ladder. Her eyes met his and he shuddered; it was at times like these he wondered if the French Knight had the gift of telepathy. Thankfully she broke the contact and he mentally sighed in relief.

"There is a meeting in an hour. Gennai sent me to tell you."

"Thank you."

She stared at him hard for a second before nodding and turning on her heel towards the exit. "Au revoir." A minute later she was out the door and out of his sight completely.

He pressed the book almost protectively to his chest and left to meet Jyou at the spot where he was to deliver the package. Picking a book out of the Order's library was not an act of treason. Inviting a vampire into headquarters was another matter entirely.

* * *

An hour later Mimi jumped from rooftop to rooftop as she made her way home. Her feet directed her unconsciously; her mind was still at the park with Yamato. She clenched her fists at her sides and muttered an oath under her breath.

It was a good thing she left as abruptly as she did. Before he had unknowingly ripped open a wound she thought was practically healed, she couldn't stop thinking about how soft his lips looked. And they were sitting so close together on the bench she could have leaned over and kissed him.

No! She smacked herself on the head and uttered another in barely more than a whisper. _"No, Mimi don't go there. He's a vampire hunter for God's sake! Nothing can happen between you two!" _

Why did that thought hurt so much? With a sigh she grinded to a stop and sat on the edge of a roof with her feet dangling in empty air. She pulled a vial of pig's blood out of her coat pocket and took a long drag.

"_This is why I can't get close to him," _she thought disgustedly. _"Because of who-what I am, what I've done, the people I've hurt, I can't let myself love him. I don't deserve to feel love ever again." _

"Now what do we have here? I must say there isn't a sadder sight in the world than a vampire with a soul," said a mocking voice from behind her.

She tilted her head ever so slightly to see Jyou standing with his arms crossed on the roof across from the building she was on. A smirk twitched out the corner of his mouth and he jumped the space between them to land behind her with his feet on the ledge.

His long coat billowed as he somersaulted over her head and touched ground right in front of her. She rolled her eyes and climbed on the ledge with her back facing him.

"Going so soon Mimi? Oh I see. You only have time for Blondie."

Eyes wide, she swung around to glare at his snickering form. In an effort to discredit him she asked, "What are you talking about?"

He was not impressed. "Please. I saw that little scene in the park; you really aren't that good when it comes to hiding your emotions. A complete idiot could see you have feelings for him."

"I-,"

"But I thought you of all demons would have more sense than that. Falling in love with a mortal and a vampire hunter no less. Tsk." He waggled on of his long pale fingers at her in the manner and adult would use to reprimand a small child.

"_He's right. I should be smarter than this. Yet every time I see him I can't help but feel something." _

Out loud, she smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "C'mon Jyou! You should know that I'd never allow myself to fall in love. It would interfere in my mission."

She turned her back on him and prepared to jump to the next building. "The only feelings I could feel for him are sexual. I haven't been with a man in a hundred years."

"_I can't let him know the truth. I just have to tell him the opposite about what I think about Yamato." _

"Good one though," she grinned though the smile didn't reach her eyes. "As if I could ever love…"

Slowly he nodded his head and a small smile appeared on his face. "You're right Mimi, I was being stupid. You can't even love yourself let alone anyone else." His smile turned in a full blown smirk and he nodded. "It's just as well."

He reached a hand out and ran his fingers down her pale face. "I wouldn't play with him either though. Toys can break so easily…"

She slapped his hand away and leapt to the next rooftop. She was able to run five steps before turning around to see that he had disappeared. Muttering she took another drag from the vial and continued on her way home.

* * *

Blocks away from Mimi another person was having a similar problem. Hikari cried her eyes out and pressed a tissue to her face as the movie the "Notebook" played on the televison in her room.

Her brother had come up with the master plan of setting up Mimi and Yamato and had taken the opportunity to drag Sora off the movies. She sighed and switched the televison off as the main character returned home from the war.

All night she'd been regretting her part in her brother's plan. They didn't have the right to interfere in Mimi and Yamato's lives. If the two were supposed to get together they would do it in their own time. And if they weren't well that was that.

She stumbled to her feet, accidentally knocking into her bedside table, and the sound of glass shattering split the quiet of her room. Hesitantly she picked the picture up from the broke shards of glass and stared at it with tearing over eyes.

It was of herself two years ago with Takeru. The two were at Odaiba Park and he was pushing her forward on the screen. His blonde hair was free from his hat for once and a big grin was on his face. Hikari looked like she had died and went to heaven.

She remembered that day. It was before they discovered the secret that Yamato, Sora, and Taichi had been guarding from them was that demons existed. They had gone to the park for a picnic and Takeru had carried her over his shoulder towards the swings.

She had laughed the entire time he pushed her higher and higher in the air. She smirked and before he knew what happened she jumped off the swing and maneuvered in the air so she landed on top of him. He glared at her but his stare softened when she pressed her lips against his.

She shivered and suddenly that image was replaced with a more recent one. Earlier that day Daisuke had sat down to have a cup of coffee with her. He placed his hand on top her hers and a feeling acute to an electric shock passed up her arm. It had felt really nice.

With a sigh she went into the kitchen to retrieve the dust pan and ten minutes later the glass had been cleaned up and the picture had been put in a new frame. Though there was something different about it.

The picture had been turned away from her bed and now faced the wall.

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**Author's Notes: **Yes, I know this was another short chapter. I promise I'll try to make the one longer. Until then please read and review.


	11. The Night Before

**Author's Notes: **I'm so angry right now! The site removed my story Razorblade Kiss and I don't know why! But I guess it's good in a way…I can work the changes I made in Love of an Enemy into the story better now.

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_It's our nature to destroy ourselves_

_It's our nature to kill ourselves_

_It's our nature to kill each other_

_It's in our nature to kill, kill, kill_

"Blood Brothers," Papa Roach

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**The Night Before **

"I don't get why you're so mad. You got alone time with a hot girl, every straight guy in the world would kill to have been in your place."

Yamato fought off the strong urge to roll his eyes at Taichi's comment; it was always in his best friend's personality to make flippant remarks like that. Most of the time Taichi's sarcasm worked on his nerves and tonight was no exception.

"I'm angry because you and the others all fucked around with my life. I don't need to be set up and I don't want to."

Taichi glared and stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest as the two of them turned into the alley they were patrolling. "Um…yeah you do. Yamato ever since Takeru died you've buried yourself in work. You never do anything anymore!"

Yamato whirled around with his fists clenched so tightly that his nails were digging into the fleshy palms of his hands. Taichi did not bring up Takeru…

"Taichi shut the fuck up! You don't-,"

He was cut off by a low guttural growl coming from somewhere in the darkness; beside him Taichi unsheathed the katana he had hidden under his coat as Yamato retrieved his battle ax crafted out of pure silver.

A few long moments passed and nothing popped out of the shadows to attack them. Yamato lowered his ax a few inches, thinking that whatever was there would be gone by now; he was wrong. Without warning three hundred pounds of flesh and fur hurtled itself at them, knocking Yamato to the ground and leaving Taichi with a shallow gash on his shoulder.

Yamato grabbed Taichi's uninjured shoulder and pulled himself off the ground as the thing turned to attack them again, revealing itself in the process. If it stood on its hind legs it would have reached eight feet and was all compact muscles and sleek fur. The fur covering its body was jet black, its eyes were a deep yellow, and its teeth and nails were the length of knives. Its face was long and ended in a muzzle and a long tail swished behind it as it stared them down.

"Yamato it's a werewolf! Quick get your axe!"

A smile spread across Yamato's pale face and he gripped the handle of his double-bladed weapon tighter. The werewolf growled and lowered her (the size was the way of identifying genders with werewolves; the male was bigger at nine feet yet the female was usually more deadly) body close to the ground before propelling herself at the two.

Yamato was ready for this and swung his axe towered the mass of fur barreling at them. The blade dug into her flank and she howled in anguish; the wound blistered over immediately as though she had been burned. Moaning piteously she licked her wounds and gazed up at the two vampire hunters as thought sizing it up. Obviously deciding against attacking them head on again, she turned and ran down the street with her tail between her legs.

Yamato frowned and returned his battle axe to his hiding place in his coat. No matter, the werewolf would give them at least two more times in the present to eliminate her. He could be patient.

As though able to read his mind, Taichi asked, "Matt you're not really thinking of killing her are you?"

"Well considering the fact that werewolves are monsters and we kill monsters…I'd have to say yes, I'm going to kill her."

"But Matt most of the time werewolves are humans. We don't kill people."

* * *

Hours after this conversation, the sun rose over Odaiba Park, waking the few types of wildlife inhabiting it. But deep inside the park, off the beaten trail, something other than some squirrels or rabbits was being rudely woken by the sun.

Lying face down in a thicket of thorn bushes and short grasses was Sora Takenouchi. She was completely naked and covered in long cuts and scratches; the lesions covering her entire body were bleeding and ached. The taste of blood was in her mouth and her head pounded as her eyes opened.

She blinked. Why in the world was she in the park instead of at home? She looked down at herself and paled; what the hell had happened to her last night? Was she attacked or something.

After a few seconds a horrible thought struck her, much in the manner that horrible thoughts come in these situations. She **knew **why she was in the park in this state and her stomach lurched unpleasantly.

"Oh shit…"

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**Author's Notes: **That's all for now. Sorry this chapter was so short; the next ones will be longer. I wonder how she'll react to being a werewolf. Oh well, please read and review.


	12. Ripping Out the Heart

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plot.

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"_This isn't some fairy tale: when I kiss you, you don't wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after."_-Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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_**Ripping Out the Heart**_

She was in a hell of a lot of pain from her transformation the night before; she had a total of five shallow cuts, ten bruises, and of course the thankfully not too deep gash on her side she guessed came from an axe or some other blade weapon; she figured it most have also been made of silver since the wound was a nasty shade of red and was blistering over. Her body ached with the slightest movement and she had to wear loose fitting jeans and a tee shirt so her lesions wouldn't be agitated even further.

With a grimace she limped through her apartment with an aged, leather bound book in hand towards her living room. She threw the book open, coughed as a dust cloud rose from it, and flicked through pages of various demons and monsters until she reached a chapter entitled Shapeshifters.

She skimmed through it, already knowing the details about most of those creatures, and finally stopped at the subheading Werewolf. This is what she read:

_The werewolf is one of the most known shapeshifters in existence and can be found throughout the world. (However the species of werewolf varies with different regions.) Werewolves are monstrous wolves, with the potential of human thought and speech, only during three times of every month: the night before the full moon, the night of, and the night after. The rest of the time they are completely human, usually without memory of their time spent in wolf form, and mostly have no idea that they are werewolves. Unfortunately endangering themselves and everyone around them…_

_Werewolves can be identified by several different ways, the most obvious being an aversion to silver. Humans with the curse have heightened senses of sight, taste, and smell; frequent changes of mood; cravings for meat and in extreme cases for acts of violence. _

_The humans who do know of their condition and simply either don't care about the danger they pose or love that fact band together in groups called packs. Each pack has one leader, who can only be replaced when defeated in battle, and there are numerous packs throughout the world._

_Werewolves are immensely strong and are not injured easily by weapons not crafted from silver. They are notoriously hard to kill with the easiest way being stabbing them through the heart with any kind of silver weapon; though they can be killed like regular wolves and the first method is not always reliable, since the werewolf usually has killed the attacker before being impaled through their heart._

Sighing she slammed the book shut so hard the coffee table under it shook and leaned back into the couch. Tears blurred her vision and she pulled her legs up to her chest as her body spasmed with sobs…

* * *

An hour later found Sora walking aimlessly down the street, eyes unfocused and no direction in mind, just trying to get away from herself. Her mind was blank, a welcomed reprieve from the combination or depression and rage she had been feeling all morning, and her skin was a sickly pale. Sweat tinged her brow and she wasn't walking as surefooted as she normally would… 

"Sora!" cried out two familiar male voices in perfect unison. She turned her head a few inches to the left to see Taichi and Yamato running up to her. Taichi wrapped his strong arms around her waist and kissed the top of her head lightly; Yamato merely fell into pace beside them, staring at them with bored detachment.

"Where were you last night? There was a werewolf; we could've used the extra help since Mimi and Hikari weren't around."

Taichi glared at Yamato from over his girlfriend's head. "Get off it Matt. Not all of us have to patrol every night without fail like you do. We have lives too."

The blonde retorted and the two young men began bickering; Sora just stared out into space, oblivious to them all. Her eyes flicked over her boyfriend's form before his oversized shirt slipped a few inches from his right shoulder, revealing the bandage covering most of the flesh on it.

"How did you get that?" she asked suddenly, startling her companions.

Taichi hastily pulled his shirt back up, as Yamato arched an eyebrow at the urgency in Sora's voice, and said, "The werewolf," he added quickly at the look on her face, "but I wasn't bitten."

He wasn't bitten this time…she could have killed him and Yamato the previous night. If not them, one of their other friends or even Mimi, whose skill matched their own. _"Tai…I almost killed him…I love him. I can't hurt him anymore."_

She grabbed Taichi's hand and dragged him farther away from Yamato. "I need to talk to you." He cast a look at his friend, who shrugged, and followed her down the street. Stopping ten feet away from the blonde she whipped around and said, "Tai, I think we should see other people."

All the blood from his face drained away and she mentally cringed. Blinking, obviously not really understanding her words, he asked, "What?"

"It's over Tai…I'm sorry."

He grabbed her shoulders, chocolate orbs wide and pleading with her. "Sora no…don't do this. Is it something I did? Please tell me! Whatever it is…I'll change!"

"NO! This isn't something you did wrong! I just can't be with you anymore."

She pulled away from him and kissed him gently on the lips, savoring the warmth and feeling behind them, and softly pushed him away. Regretfully she turned on her heel and purposefully strode away from him. _"Don't look back…"_

"Sora!" he screamed desperately, trying in vain to make her stay with him.

She flinched at the emotion in his voice but did not turn around; she didn't trust herself. If she turned around now she'd fling herself in his arms and sob against his chest…admitting everything.

"_I really do love you Taichi. But you deserve someone better than me. Someone normal."_

She ripped her own heart out and now there was only a vast emptiness inside her….

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**Author's Notes: **I know; another annoyingly short chapter. I promise the ones after this will be longer. Sorry for all you Taiora fans reading this, but don't give up hope yet. Until next time please read and review.


	13. Call of the Wild

**Author's Notes: **Sorry it took me a little while to update. Could some of you please read and review my stories: Fruits Basket: Digimon Version, Indelible Sin, and As Long as You're Mine. They don't get that many so some more reviews would be appreciated.

Oh and this chapter sort of crosses over with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plot.

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"_I can help you Oz. You're scared. I was too. But then I accepted it. The animal, it's powerful, it's inside me all the time. Soon, you just start to feel sorry for everybody else because they don't know what it's like to be as alive as we are. As free..." _

_-_Veruca, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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_**Call of the Wild**_

Sora bit down on her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, her eyes widened and shimmered with fresh tears, and she kicked the mailbox standing a few inches to her left and cursed as her foot throbbed with pain. But in a way it was a good thing…physical pain made her forget the one in her heart.

She stumbled down the sidewalk and into her apartment building where she rode the elevator up to the highest floor. Getting off she checked to see if anyone was around before climbing up the staircase leading to the roof.

A chill was in the air and she shivered as she walked towards the edge with an eerie detachment. She leaned over the edge and stared down at the doll sized people and cars on the street; as though she meant to all along she raised a hand to her neck and pulled a gold cross out from inside her shirt.

Taichi had given this to her when he, Yamato, and she had finished training and became a team, it had been only a few weeks before they started dating. Tears blurring her vision she stretched her arm back and threw the cross as far over the edge as she could. Her legs crumpled under her and she sank onto the roof, staring vacantly out into space with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Only half aware of what she was doing she retrieved her cell phone and dialed a lengthy number in London she knew by heart. Someone, a woman, answered and in a surprisingly calm voice she said, "It's Takenouchi Sora…No, nothing's wrong. I…I have to resign.

"No, nothing you can say will change my mind. That won't be necessary but thank you. Alright…thank you again."

Hearing the dial tone on the other end she punched in a newly learned number. This time a male voice picked up and she told him, "I resigned. Yeah…I still want to join the pack." He said something and she replied, "I can be there in about twenty minutes. Bye, Oz."

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The warehouse that was headquarters to the Loki Wolf Pack was the one farthest on the left, ten feet away from the pier. She strode towards it, with eyes downcast and hands stuffed in her pockets, and knocked five times on the door. It creaked open and she slipped inside; the room was extremely dark and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the shadows.

There was a group of ten, twenty people, all werewolves and most of them were wearing black to blend in with the darkness. Two people, a man and a woman not dressed completely in black like the others, approached the center of the room where she stood.

The man was short with dyed black hair, pale skin, dark eyes, and a small build. He wore a flannel shirt, a faded grey tee shirt with the logo of some band called Dingoes Ate My Baby across the center, blue jeans, and a pair of old sneakers. His face was expressionless and he had a laid back aurora that reminded her of Yamato.

The woman was beautiful and had the ability to draw attention to herself by just quietly standing in a room; she had dark blonde hair, intelligent brown eyes, and lightly tanned skin. She wore a black leather jacket, a red shirt held up with straps, skin tight leather pants, and knee high boots. Her left arm encircled the man's waist and he leaned in towards her.

The shorter man spoke, "I'm Oz, the Ulfric of the Loki Wolf Pack. This is Veruca," he inclined his head towards the woman, "my Lupa."

An Ulfric was the king of a wolf pack; to reach that level, one must be a male, and in rare cases female, alpha werewolf. The Ulfric called the shots without question and for to get a new Ulfric the person next in line for leadership most kill the old one in a fight; the body of the previous one would than be eaten by the rest of the pack. The Lupa was basically the mate of the Ulfric.

He extended his hand and she shook it; he had a surprisingly firm handshake and there were calluses under his fingers that she realized most come from hours spent playing a guitar. (Yamato had the same kind on his fingers.)

He continued, "The pack is now like your family and will be referred to as the Lukoi. You're a lesser werewolf and to move up in the pack you have to challenge other members to prove dominance."

"You mean a fight to the death?"

He shook his head. "No, regular dominance fights are not to the death. You prove dominance by winning or if the pack member you challenge backs down. You're going to need a sponsor to teach you our ways."

"I'll teach her," spoke Veruca burying her face in his neck.

Uncertainty, the first emotion Sora saw on his face so far, flickered on his countenance for a second before blanking again. "Fine," he said with just the tiniest hint of doubt. "But just be gentle Veruca."

The woman detached herself from Oz and brought Sora into a quick hug. "Don't worry. We'll be as close as sisters!"

For some strange reason Sora didn't feel too reassured about that…

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**Author's Notes: **Now before any of you say anything, I know Veruca was killed. I just think if she hadn't attacked Willow forcing Oz to kill her, she could've helped them. She was right about what she told Oz after all; he couldn't continue locking himself in a cage. Oz could've helped her be a little less uncaring about her condition and just think about how much an improvement having two werewolves on their team would have been.

Well that's my opinion anyway. Please read and review.


	14. Lessons

**Author's Notes: **Before I get to the actual chapter I've got some things to say. You may have noticed that almost all of my multi-chaptered stories have been taken down, and are most likely not going to be put back up. I'm sorry if I've disappointed a lot of you, but it was something I had to do.

The stories I took down were all based on other things, so much so, that the characters were being fit to the ones in those with no thought of their actual personalities. In some cases there was no creativity at all, just plots used on those books or movies. I want to write stories on plots I come up with. Not ones based on pre-existing televison shows or books. I need to see if it's possible for me to come up with plots of my own and not regurgitate already used ones.

I have more stories I'm going to upload, and no they're not all slash fics, and one or two will be based on something but most of them aren't. So look out for those.

So again I apologize if I've let you down. If I did, I hope it is possible for all of you to forgive me. Now without further ado here's the new chapter.

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_**Lessons**_

Taichi let all the anger, frustration, and sadness coursing through his veins into a form he could manipulate and sent one hell of a punch into his victim: a tattered black punching bag. Stuffing poked out from a tear in the material he, himself, had created and his knuckles stung from the impact as he hadn't bothered with wearing the gloves.

Sweat glistened off his forehead and bare chest and he clenched his fists tight enough for bloody half-moons to appear on his palms. With a grunt he lifted his arm back and struck the bag; it groaned and more stuffing came out.

Hikari, disturbed with his mood, lead Yamato into the vacant part of the gym where he was clobbering the poor inanimate object. The blonde grimaced as Taichi swung out again and he nodded at Hikari before stalking towards the elder Yagami. He placed a hand on the shorter man's shoulder and the brunette turned and glared.

A lesser man than Yamato would have run screaming for his mother but the Hunter stood his ground and after a moment Taichi collapsed into him. His body heaved with silent sobs, tears spilling onto Yamato's shirt, and the blonde did his best to be consoling though crying people were not his area of expertise.

Hikari came to the rescue, pulling Taichi away from him, and steering her brother over to some folding chairs. She whispered words too softly for Yamato to hear but they were obviously comforting as Taichi's cries had lessened and he was now speaking to her in the same quiet tone.

Yamato shifted back and forth on his feet uncomfortably before letting the two siblings have a moment together….

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Blocks away, in the same park Sora discovered her condition in, from that touching scene Sora was hurriedly trailing behind Veruca, the older werewolf easily taking the lead, with a strange sense of foreboding. She ran her fingers along her belt loop where her silver knives had once been sheathed as the alpha female continued her lessen:

"We're better than humans, stronger, faster, deadlier. Without any silver they're no match for us."

"But we're human," she said before she could stop herself. Veruca's body became very still and she pivoted around slowly, dark eyes hard and terrifying.

Sora began to say something, anything, to save herself from the wrath of an alpha werewolf, who could literally tear her apart with her bare hands, but her words died in her throat in a gasp. Veruca's power was crashing down around her, hammering her into the grass, and tears blurred her vision. Her chest cramped painfully and her breath was coming out in dry heaves; finally, as soon as it had started, it went.

Her body crumpled beneath her and she lay, face down in the grass, with her fingers digging into the earth on either side. Veruca stood, untouched by her agony, and said, "We are not human, remember that."

The elder of the two women continued as Sora still had relearned how to talk, "I am lupa, mother of the pack. I am your guardian, your flesh and blood. We are lukoi. We are pack."

Sora fought to arrange herself in a kneeling position, and after making sure she would not tip over, she _crawled_…no. Not crawled. Crawling signifies something awkward, ungainly, but Sora moved towards Veruca with the utmost grace, as if she possessed muscles normal humans didn't.

Her ruby eyes had bled into the amber of a wolf's and she buried her head in Veruca's leg, nuzzling it gently. She lifted her hands and ran them gently down Veruca's legs from her thighs to her feet and breathed in her aroma, memorizing her scent.

"You are my lupa, my alpha."

A sharp gasp by a male voice startled the two women and both snapped their heads towards the source: Yamato. The blonde's eyes widened taking in the sight of Sora abasing herself and his mouth dropped open a few inches as he noticed the animal eyes staring out at him from her human face.

His lips struggled to form words but he gave up after a minute and ran from them; Sora's heart sank as she listened to his footfalls and she huddled into herself, making no move to stand and wishing the earth would just swallow her whole. Veruca's arms wrapped around her shoulders and she fell back into the embrace, tears streaming down her face as Veruca rubbed her back.

"Feel the pack, Sora." It was the first time Veruca addressed her by name. "We are one with you. You do not stand alone."

* * *

"Taichi! Hikari!"

Brother and sister jumped five inches out of their chairs at the frantic scream, too engrossed in their conversation to pay attention to their surroundings, and shifted defensively as Yamato darted into the room.

His hair was messier than usual, ocean orbs dark and roving around as if expecting an attack from any angle, and his skin was flushed as if he had been running a great distance. Something was wrong; Yamato was a cool guy, he never let anything affect him this badly.

"What's wrong?" asked Hikari.

"It's Sora. She's…she's a werewolf."

Time seemed to stop as Taichi took in the information, his face an impassive mask, betraying none of his feelings, and breathing slightly more rapid than previously. Yamato stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at the siblings; Hikari's jaw was somewhere near the vicinity of the door.

The male brunette stood and walked out of the room, leaving his stunned friends behind him…

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**Author's Notes: **Sorry this chapter was short. The next ones will be longer and Mimi and the others will be back in them. Please read and reivew.

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	15. Done

**Author's Notes: **I'm sorry it took me so long to update this story, but I sort of lost my sense of where I was taking the story. And as you've pointed out, this story seems to be more focused on Taiora the Mimato, but only up to this chapter. After that it will be much more Mimato. And there'll be more Daikari.

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"_Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back-in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you."_  
-anonymous

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_**Done**_

"Should we really be letting him patrol when he's this upset?" asked Mimi, one perfect eyebrow arched as she watched Taichi storm off ahead of them, muttering under his breath. She, Hikari, and Yamato were following him at a less strenuous pace, though fast enough to keep him in sight.

"Telling Tai he can't do something is like waiting for rain in a drought. Useless and disappointing," replied Yamato, ocean eyes focusing on her over Hikari's head.

She nodded, quickly concentrating on their fearless leader's static figure flicker in and out of behind trees in Odaiba Park; werewolves in training were usually brought here by the local pack since the surroundings calmed their beasts. Beside Hikari Yamato frowned and also fixated on his crazed friend, vaguely wondering if it was against the rules to knock his team leader unconscious and carry him over his shoulder back home.

"_Sora obviously doesn't want our help, and even though she's a good friend I'm not going to offer help where it's not wanted." _He scowled. _"Though at the rate Tai's going that idiot'll probably end up killing her before the night's over. We were all hoping that they'd end up getting back together but…that seems hopeless right now." _

"Tai! Wait up!" yelled Hikari and she sped up so she could run side by side with her brother. Yamato and Mimi were left in an awkward silence as he attempted to catch her eye and she was as insistent at not acknowledging his presence.

"_Don't look at him. That's right…don't notice how blue his eyes are or how soft his hair looks…I wonder what it would feel like to-dammit! Stop it, Mimi! Stop it!"_

"_C'mon…why won't you look at me! Dammit…fine. I'll just make you pay attention to me." _

"So…what do you think about the whole Taichi/Sora situation?" he broke the silence first. With a small sigh she titled her head to see him as he continued, "I don't think she should've broke up with him in the first place. He would've-,"

"I thought she was being very honorable," she cut him off before once again staring pointedly in front of them.

He grunted at the shift in her attention. "Really? Breaking someone's heart can be considered honorable?"

"She was trying to protect him," she glared as he snorted disbelievingly. "I see it like this: the best thing you can do for someone you love isn't keeping them close to you, but letting them go when there's someone or something out there better for them."

"Taichi and Sora were the most sickeningly happy couple I knew. Who could be better for him than her?"

She closed her eyes, counting to ten as she fought off the irresistible urge to take him by the shoulders and shake him. "You really don't get it do you," she snapped after a moment, catching him off guard. "Taichi has spent his life fighting this very kind of thing! How the hell do you think he would've taken it if he found out he was screwing one of the monsters!"

His eyes narrowed threateningly. "He's not that-,"

"I'm not saying that Taichi's a bad guy or anything! But you can't tell me that you would be pleased to find out you had a vampire or something for a girlfriend!"

She cut herself off, mentally cursing her own stupidity, when he grabbed her by the arm pulling her close to him. Her eyes were large as he pressed his face an inch away from hers and said, "No, I wouldn't be happy…at first. But if I really loved this woman, I'd accept her."

"Yamato I…"

She leaned in silently, thoughtlessly, as he bent down, the distance between their bodies lessening as…

"**Taichi, no! Stop, you'll kill her! Yamato, Mimi help!" **

The two sprang apart and without so much as glancing at the other, dashed off to the clearing in the distance, carefully avoiding stones and tree roots. He was faster than her, already two feet closer to the scene but he stopped in his tracks, face frozen in shock, and she all but collided with him.

Taichi had his silver battle axe out and the edge of its blade was covered in a thin layer of blood. He kicked the bleeding werewolf huddled on the ground sharply and pulled his arm back to land another blow with the axe. Hikari had her arms wrapped around his neck but he ignored her and nearly lifted her off the ground.

The werewolf cowering in a fetal position was howling in pain and kept snapping her jaws as Taichi came nearer to her. Her fur was not black like Yamato had thought it had been in the lightless alley but a shining auburn and her eyes were a softly glowing amber. She was roughly the size of a small pony and her claws looked sharp enough to rip human flesh into shreds.

Yamato was frozen, his brain not making sense of what was going on, but luckily Mimi had no such affliction. Cursing she had suddenly disappeared from the blonde's side to the spot between Taichi and Sora, and before the male brunette could react she dealt him a front kick to his face.

He stumbled backwards, dropping the axe has his hands covered his now broken nose, and Hikari let go, muttering angrily. Mimi turned her back to them all, pulling a syringe from inside her coat, and turning her attention to the former Hunter; Sora stared up at her distrustingly and she smiled before plunging the needle into the other's neck.

The werewolf slumped over, not making a noise, causing both Hikari and Yamato to shout out. "Don't worry," she called over her shoulder, "it's just a tranquilizer! She'll be fine in the morning."

Mimi lifted the lycanthrope's front legs and with a grunt balanced the werewolf on her back, stumbling a little as she walked towards the western park exit, the one closest to her apartment. "Where are you taking her?" Taichi managed to ask from behind layers of blood.

She glared stonily at him, forcing him to wince. "I'm taking her back to my place you bastard to help her recover from what you did to her! And if you value your health I suggest you don't try to find me for a while."

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to hurt her…I still love her."

She paused the weight on her back killing her but commented, "I know, she still loves you to. But if tonight was any hint you can't handle her being a werewolf." Her expression softened as she looked at him again. "Until you can and if she can forgive you, get back together. But for now… stay away. Just stay away..."

And with that she stormed out of the park…Yamato watching her the entire time.

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**Author's Notes: **Well that was just crappy. And Taichi came off more more of an asshole than I meant for him to. Oh well…please read and review.


	16. Friends in Need

**Author's Notes: **The reason I was so worried about the way Taichi appeared last chapter was because I don't think I'm good at writing his character at all. He is one of my least favorite characters, sorry Taichi fans, and I guess I never really saw him as necessary, again no offense Taichi lovers. I always think I'm making him grossly out of character. Oh well…And the part about reacting the same way as Taichi if I found out my girlfriend was a werewolf; first it would have to be boyfriend for me and even though I'd probably be just as upset I don't think I'd attack them with a silver weapon. But I've never been in the situation before so who knows…

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

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"_Everyone carries around his own monsters."_-Richard Pryor

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_**Friends in Need**_

Sora woke up with the unsettling feeling that something had gone horribly wrong last night. This nagging emotion was only strengthened as her expressive ruby orbs snapped open to stare around at an unfamiliar room, and turned to near panic when she noticed that she was both naked and newly bandaged up. Hugging the light blue sheets around her, she grimaced as white-hot pain lanced through her side and she managed to pull herself into a sitting position with her back resting against the headboard.

Not about to go anywhere she carefully studied her surroundings; the room was normal in proportions and the walls were painted a robin's egg blue and the carpet was a matching shade as well were the sheets on the bed. Sunlight streamed through the open window and she guessed the time to be around seven or eight o'clock in the morning. A yellow tee shirt, neat blue jeans that looked new, white socks, and undergarments were set in a pile on the bureau pressed against the right wall and a note with her name on it was placed on top of the clothing.

Ignoring the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as well as the way pain exploded across her side with even the slightest movement she made, she stumbled across the room and gingerly pulled on the clothes. With no other real alternative, she carefully crept towards the door and slowly stuck her head out.

The hallway was clear and when she sensed no signs of danger, she slowly padded down, taking time to examine the area. It wasn't anything like a dungeon she had once been imprisoned in, and appeared to be a normal enough loft, though appearances could be deceiving. From the décor only one person lived there, and the owner was decidedly female.

She reached the living room and managed to stop the gasp forming in the back of her throat. Mimi was sprawled across the couch with one leg swinging above the ground and the other stretched across it. Her left arm was resting on the top of the couch and her eyes were focused on the ceiling, brows knitted together in thought. She looked like she was waiting for a revolving cameraman.

The brunette took a minute to notice Sora standing in the door frame and smiled prettily. "Good morning, how did you sleep? I was worried that the tranquilizer I'd used on you was too strong…"

"Tranquilizer…than you know," she trailed off, chewing on her bottom lip.

The smile slid off Mimi's heart-shaped face and she sighed. "Yeah, and um the others know too. They were all there last night."

"Oh…" Insert awkward pause here. "How did I get hurt?"

Mimi cringed involuntarily and gazed down at the floor, not wanting to match the werewolf's inquiring stare. "Well…Taichi didn't really take the news too well…and he…well you can guess."

The first thing Sora realized after that comment was how hard it was too see when unshed tears were blurring her vision, and the second was that all those whiny singers who kept making songs about getting their hearts broken weren't lying. It physically hurt to think about the man she'd loved since she was thirteen.

With the only sound breaking the silence was her haggard breathing, she collapsed to the floor, hugging her legs against her chest and burying her face in her knees. She barely registered the fact that Mimi was approaching her until she felt the others' arms wrap around her shoulders. Sora melted into the embrace, registering in the back of her mind that a hug from Veruca or someone else from the lukoi would be more comforting, but still grateful for the consoling physical contact. (Shapeshifters not matter what flavor of lycanthrope they were always touchy feely people. Like the animals they sometimes turned into, physically touching someone else never failed to offer comfort.)

Mimi was whispering something that Sora could only faintly hear, and wasn't able to identify if the words were even in a langue she understood or not, but they still carried a calming effect. Probably because of the way in which they were being said…

"Thanks," mumbled Sora, eyes closing shut of prevent the fall of tears. "Everything's just fucking falling apart right now. I'm too human to be a monster and too monster to be human. Shit…"

"You're not a monster," said Mimi firmly almost definitely. "I've seen monsters and you're not one of them."

"How the fuck would you know? You don't know what it's like!"

"Oh, I don't huh? Well, how's this for a monster." Mimi cupped Sora's chin with her hands and forced the other woman to stare up at her. Sure that they had eye-contact, the brunette shifted from her human face to her feeding one, stifling a laugh as Sora jumped.

The werewolf blanched and skittered away from the vampire, eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. "You're a vampire," she muttered in shock. "But why are you helping us?"

"That's a long story, so let's just skip to the Spark Note's version. I saw the error of my ways."

Sora arched an eyebrow. "You're not going to tell me anymore than that are you?"

"Nope."

"Fine. I should go anyway." She brushed past the vampire on the way towards the door, getting permission to borrow a pair of boots. At the door she hesitated and stuck her head back in, "Thanks…for everything. I don't think you're really a monster either."

Sora hastily exited the loft, the pain in her chest alleviating just a little as she continued on her way. Maybe Mimi was right, maybe she wasn't really the monster after all. She just had to learn how to control her beast, which stirred slightly inside her as she thought about it, but lazily went back to sleep after a second.

As for Mimi she was just standing in the middle of the room, a faint smile turning upwards on her lips. "Of all the things I've been told…"

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Across the city Taichi was lying flat on his back in bed, wearing only his black J.Crew boxers and kicked the sheets off his body. His goggles had been abandoned long ago and he was just staring up at the ceiling wallowing in self-pity and counting the number of cracks in the plaster.

He was such a moron. Why couldn't he have controlled his temper for once in his miserable life? Why couldn't he behave like a normal civilized person and maybe have a chance at a reconciliation with his ex? At this point he knew they weren't getting back together and was doubtful even of just being able to be friends with her after what he'd done.

Hikari, fully dressed and showered, strode inside and rolled her eyes to the heavens. "Get your lazy ass up Taichi. Moping around isn't going to help the situation."

No answer.

A sigh. "Whatever. I just hope you're happy right now. Sora's probably not even going to want to be your friend after the little stunt you pulled."

"_Just rub salt in it why don't you?"_ Out loud he said, "If I wanted to be criticized I would've called Yamato."

"_Not that his love life's going any better. He can't even ask Mimi out…"_

His sister sighed again. "Fine, sulk around the house all day if you want. Just don't come whining to me later about what a fucking moron you're being."

And with that she was gone, the door slamming shut behind her. He flipped over on the bed and buried his head in his pillow, trying to halt the sharp sting of tears behind his eyes. _"She's wrong…I'm not a moron. I'm a monster…"_

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**Author's Notes: **Still no Mimato, Daikari, or Jyou and the other vampires in this chapter. I just wanted to set up the Mimi/Sora friendship since it's going to be important later.

But don't worry, Yamato and Jyou will be in the next chapter as well as Daisuke, probably. Please read and review.


	17. Alliances

**Author's Notes: **Let me clear something up. I didn't remove Razorblade Kiss; it was taken down from the site without my knowledge. I'm not completely sure why, either. I'm going to put an edited version of it up as well and I have a second sequel to this story planned, Love like Winter.

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"_Alas! regardless of their doom, the little victims play! No sense have they of ills to come nor care beyond today."_-Thomas Gray

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_**Alliances**_

"I had planned to call the best evil minds in the country here today. Unfortunately they were completely unavailable…so I called you people." Jyou paced the dim room as the three of the other occupants rolled their eyes at him and the fourth was staring up at the ceiling, only half conscious as she had been beaten and chained to the wall.

"Excuse us," muttered Michael from his spot beside Miyako. "Besides I'm not seeing a problem here. The ritual's going to be ready in less than a week, assuring the world will be covered in never ending night. Yeah, everything's seems according to plan."

Jyou glared at him, obsidian eyes flashing dangerously. "And as soon as those do- gooders get even a whiff of dark magic they'll come bursting in here…disrupting the ritual. And we'll never get another opportunity again!"

He resumed his pacing as the room fell into a dead silence. "So does anyone have a fucking idea about what the hell we're going to do about it?"

Before any of the three sitting around could attempt an answer a confident, male voice said, "Well it seems kinda simple to me. Keep them all as distracted as possible."

Four of the room's occupants jumped at the unexpected sound and whipped around to face a new figure standing with his arms crossed in the doorway. He was tall and muscular and was dressed from head to toe in black with a few bits of red. His face was covered in a ceramic black mask with red eyes and blood tears running down the material, and his blonde hair was messy as though blown by the wind. He wore a black leather jacket with red lining, a black muscle shirt, black leather pants with silver chains hanging from his belt, and knee-high black leather boots.

"Who are you?" demanded Ken, rising to his feet.

The blonde man barely acknowledged him, "I don't have a name…not anymore. Just call me Sisyphus."

"And tell me, Sisyphus, why should we trust you?" continued Ken who immediately got into the other man's face. "Give me one good reason."

"I hate the Hunters and would like nothing more then to see them get what's coming to them." He shoved the vampire back, almost making him fall into Miyako, and turned to face Jyou. "Is that good enough for you idiots?" he asked challengingly.

Jyou smiled. "What do you have in mind?"

Sisyphus flicked his wrist and the air in front of him shimmered with a soft blue light. The light molded into an outline of a mirror and the space inside it glowed with a white shimmer before showing images of Hikari and Daisuke.

"You have a Hunter and a Knight falling for each other, and neither of them know about the other's secret." The pictures shifted to Mimi and Yamato separately and he continued, "Let's not forget the interesting couple of the vampire and the Hunter." It changed again to show Sora with the rest of the lukoi. "An entire pack of werewolves to manipulate and let's not forget that you have one of the future Charmed Ones completely at your mercy."

He gestured to the captured woman as the mirror faded away into nothingness. "So any questions?"

**

* * *

**

**Author's Notes: **Sorry this chapter was so short, but it's mostly a set-up for the rest of the story. Please read and review.


	18. Going Under

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon.

* * *

"_In our lives there is bound to come some pain, surely as there are storms and falling rain; just believe that the one who holds the storms will bring the sun." _–anonymous

* * *

_**Going Under**_

Hikari was pissed, though she was unable to vent her anger vocally towards the source, her brother (yelling at him that one morning had taken a lot of her strength); she found other ways to get her displeasure across. She rose early to use the bathroom first and than delayed her morning routines to prevent Taichi from getting ready on time, she made meals only for herself and occasionally a bemused Daisuke, and she spoke rather formally to her brother.

Though Taichi was ultimately clueless of her anger and spent most of his waking thoughts pondering ways of somehow helping his situation with Sora. This infuriated her more and culminated in her spending as much times as possible out of the apartment with Daisuke, Yamato and Mimi, and every once and awhile Sora.

The young witch sighed as she descended the stairs to the subway. She limited the time she spent with her brother's ex-girlfriend because of every time they talked she saw the sadness in Sora was more pronounced when they were together. Hikari reminded her of Taichi…

She clenched her fists as her insides writhed in an anger so powerful, so buried inside her body, that the temperature in the underground went up a few degrees. The air shimmered in front of her in a haze and people standing on the platform waiting for the train started voicing complaints that the lights kept flickering on and off.

_**Go away. Taichi…Sora…Daisuke…Takeru…dreams getting worse. **_

"_**Only because you refuse to listen to them."**_

_**Voices in her head now…perfect. Stop. She just wants everything to-**_

"Hikari!" exclaimed a familiar concerned voice. Chocolate orbs a mirror of her brother's snapped open and tiredly focused on the swimming in and out face of Daisuke. "Hikari say something! Are you okay? Hikari!"

She was going to answer him, she knew she was, but the words got lost somewhere on the trek to her mouth. All she could notice about him was how strong his hands were as he gripped her shoulders and drew her against his chest, enveloping her in warmth she only used to get when Takeru embraced her. Vanilla…he smelled like vanilla.

"Hikari! Hikari…can you hear me?"

Of course she could hear him, she wasn't deaf after all. She would've told him as much if her vocal chords were cooperating with her overloaded mind. Seeing the worried expression on his features, she tried to tell him something, anything, but all she could get out was, "Vanilla…cold."

And she suddenly realized that she was in fact cold and briefly wondered if she was getting sick. She clutched Daisuke tighter, chasing the elusive warmth that clung to his form heavily, and saw her vision of him to be getting smaller, blacker. Then as he called out to her one last time she gave into the cold.

* * *

Daisuke fought off the urge to go running around screaming in a circle as Hikari collapsed against him and instead folded the unconscious girl into his arms. She was so cold…her skin so hard to the touch…that he almost dropped her out of shock. He managed, though he was not quite sure how, to keep a hold on her when her eyes opened to only roll upwards.

"_She's dead…she's…NO!" _

He concentrated harder than he had ever before in his life and tuned out all of the white noise of the coming train and of people clambering on and off it and instead listened to Hikari. A light blue shimmer outlined his body and on his chest a small crown shown over his heart but he noticed neither. Her heart still beat, he could hear it as well as the blood running through her veins.

Whatever she had it made her only appear dead as it slowly killed off her body; he had heard of this during his early training. Warlocks had cast this curse on prominent nobles in the past so that the grieved families and friends buried the victim alive.

He ran than, still holding onto her for dear life, ran to the only people he knew of whom could help her. Faster than he had ever reached the base in his life he nearly collided with Lady Catherine on the stairs leading up and promptly ignored her shout and footsteps quickly following him.

He reached the second floor landing and a door reading "Gennai" in Plexiglas and before Catherine could stop him, he kicked it open. Gennai a handsome man in his early thirties with short brown hair, tanned skin, and blue eyes looked up from his book in alarm. The panic only intensified as he took in the appearances of the trio.

"Lay her on my desk." He pushed all of his work, his book, and picture frames off the surface and onto the floor as Daisuke gently rested the frail young woman down. Without saying another word he placed his hands on Hikari's face, closing his eyes, and a soft but strong white glow surrounded the two.

He murmured words of no known human language under his breath and the girl writhed as her eyes shut and warmth slowly returned to her. The delicate skin on her left hand ruptured and a golden mechanical bug popped out of her palm and Hikari's tense body relaxed. The bug however stared at them all through emerald eyes before pressing a button on the underside of its abdomen and disintegrating into scrap metal.

Daisuke moved closer to the desk and clutched the girl's hand in his and chocolate orbs fluttered open. "Daisuke…what's going?" She cut herself off as her gaze locked on the crown still blazing on his chest. "Who are you?"

The young Knight sighed deeply. "Hikari…there's something I should tell you…"

No one except the forgotten Lady Catherine noticed that on the bug's remains Michael's signature was scrawled across the head. And as they were still caught up in the crown and the near death experience she didn't tell them.

* * *

Elsewhere Yamato, relaxing under a tree in the park, fished out a piece of paper from inside his pocket. A series of numbers had been written hastily across it in Sora's abnormally neat penmanship and a small smile turned upwards on his face as he reassured himself again that this was Mimi's phone number.

As Sora had grown close to Mimi after that incident a few days ago he had hounded her for the desired number. He was so busy doing his mental victory dance that he had missed the worried look that crossed over his friend's countenance and now here he was. There was no use denying it anymore; he wanted Mimi and he strongly suspected that she wanted him.

So now it was time to end this fruitless dance.

He dialed the number.

It ran twice and he wondered if she was home.

Then her voice came on the other end.

It was time.

"Mimi, hey, it's Yamato…yeah Sora gave me this number. Look I need you to meet me tonight…yeah that's fine. Fine. C'ya!"

He didn't notice the presence of a tiny artificial bug that was broadcasting his entire conversation back to the very people he was fighting against. And as such he had no idea that somewhere Jyou had kicked a table over in rage as he yelled different profanities.

He had no idea that Sisyphus was eerily staring at the computer scene that had captured Hikari and Daisuke with no visible emotion on his face.

And there was no way he could know that at his computer Koushirou had spit out a mouthful of soda as Mimi's information scrolled down the screen.

And above them all clouds had started to gather.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **To make up for the shortness of the last chapter I wanted to do one with Daikari and Mimato as the two main points. The next chapter will be much more Mimato centric than the previous ones were. Please read and review. 


	19. Falling Away

**Author's Notes: **Okay, here's that big Mimato chapter I promised you. There is also a smidge of Daikari near the end and some unrequited Jyoumi, but that's it.

* * *

"_Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they'll love you back…don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart, but if it doesn't, be content that it grew in yours. "_-anonymous

* * *

_**Falling Away**_

Mimi had a strange feeling that something was about to go horribly awry in the pit of her stomach. No matter what she did or thought, it wouldn't go away. If Yamato hadn't asked to see her that night, she would've just stayed locked inside her apartment.

Though she thought this feeling might have mostly come from having a conversation with Jyou.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry? Going to see lover boy," he sneered as he matched their paces enough to walk beside her.

Mimi sighed through gritted teeth and mentally counted to ten so she wouldn't be forced to impale Jyou through the heart with her sword and turn him into a pile of ash. And she stopped herself not just because ash and blood were a bitch to get out of one's clothing (and Mimi was meticulous about taking care of her clothes) but because her sire chose his battle well. She was not about to alarm countless civilians crowding the street that evening by showing them that vampires were in fact real.

"Go away Jyou."

"No, I don't think I will. I enjoy spending time with you Mimi, even if you don't like to anymore."

She glared at him. "Don't start."

He glared back at her. "Why not? My fledgling, my love, won't acknowledge me now that she's so big and important with a soul! I wish I never made you."

"So do I."

"Do you think he really cares about you?" he thundered, the tone and emotion in his voice attracting curious gazes from passerby. She halted, cursing under her breath, as the light turned and traffic ensued down the street. Jyou stood next to her at the crosswalk dropping his voice to a whisper.

"If he knew what you were, what you've done, do you really think he'd give a damn whether you lived or died. He'd put a stake in your heart, himself. Just wait."

When was that freaking light going to change?

"_**I'm not saying that Taichi's a bad guy or anything! But you can't tell me you'd be pleased to find out you had a vampire or something for a girlfriend!"**_

"_**No, I wouldn't be happy…at first. But if I really loved this woman I'd accept her."**_

"You're wrong," she replied softly, staring straight ahead to the park across the street. Where Yamato was waiting for her and she admitted to herself that she was glad. What the hell was taking that light so long to change?

Jyou smirked, giving his handsome face a sour expression. "We'll see."

And with that he melded back into the crowds, disappearing from her sight, and masking his presence against her. She grumbled as the light finally changed from green to red.

Of course it turned when she didn't need an escape…

* * *

Yamato sat on the very bench in the center of the park where he and Mimi had conversed for a few minutes when the others had tried to set them up. His palms were damp with sweat and he rubbed them on the inside of his jean pockets, not wanting to appear more nervous than he actually was.

He smiled though there wasn't anything really that happy in it. Mimi was the only woman he ever met that made him second guess himself or spend extra time getting ready to meet. He had chosen to wear a black silk button up shirt under his usual leather jacket, grey-black jeans, and black Timberland shoes; egotism aside, he looked good.

His smile faltered as he though further about the mysterious woman that he found himself wondering about quite often over the last month. She was attracted to him, he was almost a hundred percent positive that she was, but still she pulled away from him. Why? Did she have her heart broken so badly that she didn't want another relationship? Did he remind her of someone she wanted to forget? What?

"Yamato."

He looked up startled at her sudden arrival and sighed quietly to himself. She looked beautiful as she twirled a lock of honey hair around one finger, staring at him in concern. He suppressed a smirk as he noticed that she had dressed nicer than usual (though he had to admit she looked nice no matter what) in a red top with a scooped neck, a black skirt going only an inch or two past her knees, black boots with a heel that gave her a few extra inches, and a black coat.

"So what's up?"

He had to mentally slap himself to hear her words and not just concentrating on her lips and wondering if they would feel as soft as they looked. "We need to talk."

"About what?" She sounded anxious and that did not reassure him.

"Us." She repeated the statement and he nodded, staring at her expressions carefully though her face gave nothing away. "There's something between us."

"Yeah…responsibility."

He frowned and stood and he frowned deeper when she made no move to approach him. "Mimi, I know you feel it." He walked towards her and for a moment he was afraid she'd turn and flee but she stood in place as he stopped in front of her. "Please tell me you do. Please…"

He reached out a hand and trailed it down her perfect, pale cheek. She shivered, though not from fear or cold. "Yamato, please, we can't do this."

"Mimi, I've tried to hate you, to ignore you. But I can't."

"Try harder."

"No," and with that he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers. At first he was afraid that she'd pull away from him, give him a slap, but to his pleasant surprise she kissed back, looping an around his waist.

They would've gone on longer that way if they hadn't been alarmed by the sound of clapping coming from behind them. Barely sharing a look, they turned to see Jyou grinning evilly at them as he brought his hands together in applause.

Mimi tensed up and Yamato pressed her against the line of his body. "What do you want?"

"To prove I'm right."

Before either could react Jyou had removed a bottle of Holy Water from inside his pocket, uncapped it, and splashed Mimi's face with it. She howled in pain, her skin searing and smoke rising from it, and clutched her face as it changed from human to vampire.

Yamato let go of her, stumbling backwards, and she peered sadly at him from behind her fingers. "I'm sorry," she muttered before disappearing into the night.

Jyou noted the look of horror on the blonde's face and smirked. "I was right."

Yamato would have put the bastard out of his misery but the other man took a leaf out of Mimi's book and tailed out of there. The Hunter grumbled under his breath and gave the bench a sharp kick.

* * *

As Hikari walked back inside her apartment she knew she wouldn't be able to take anymore surprises that day. Daisuke and Gennai had explained to her that the Order had not ceased to exist all those centuries ago, like everyone was made to believe, but instead had gone underground to avoid more conflict than necessary. The only thing neither was able to tell her about was the glowing crown on her friend's chest, though Daisuke did seem as confused as her about it.

Gennai looked like he knew something but he was keeping quiet.

This was insane. Before she'd never think of Daisuke as anything but a normal guy, someone she didn't mind spending time with, but now everything had changed. She had even told him about her brother and her friends being Hunters and that she was a witch.

It had been a long day and she just wanted to rest. Though as she walked into her living room to see Yamato, Taichi, and Koushirou sitting down with grave expressions she knew it was about to get longer.

"What's wrong?"

They told her.

No longer prepared to take any more nasty shocks she did the only thing she could.

She fainted.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **That's all for now. Please read and review. 


	20. Perspective

**Author's Notes: **I'm sorry the chapters are so short but I'm not that great at making long ones. And there's more Mimato in this chapter and the next one. Don't worry.Well mostly in the next one.

* * *

"_Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."_-T.S. Elliot

* * *

_**Perspective**_

It took twenty minutes to revive Hikari. The young woman woke to discover herself laid out on the couch, the only clean part of their living room, and she groggily rubbed her eyes. Once her vision adjusted she lifted her head up to find the other three occupants of the room. Yamato had his back to her and was quietly staring out the window, his entire profile tense as though he expected to be attacked at any moment. Taichi and Koushirou were conversing in low tones in the kitchen and were alerted to her wakefulness by her pushing herself off the couch.

"So Mimi's really a vampire? You're not joking with me?"

Koushirou shook his head to signify the negative and began fishing around for something in his black messenger bag. "I don't joke. May I interest you in a sarcastic comment? No…okay." He let out a small exclamation of triumph as he had found whatever he had been looking for and the next minute he had spread a stack of papers over the table.

"It's not just that she's a vampire," their link to the Council explained, "though that's bad enough. No, but for the fact that for two hundred years after she was sired by Jyou, she was one of the most brutal murderers in the Council's records."

She gulped. "How bad?"

Taichi broke in, rolling chocolate orbs to the ceiling. "She was called the Angel of Death, Kari. That doesn't exactly bring warm fuzzies to mind…"

Koushirou nodded as she slipped into the chair next to him. "From what I've researched, she killed indiscriminately, though most of her victims were male, and she took out five Hunters, which is two more than any other vampire in history."

"How long has she been a vampire?"

The unexpected question from Yamato made them swivel around in their chairs to look at him. His back was still to them and his shoulders were slightly slumped forward as he continued to gaze out the window. Nothing in his voice gave them any hint of what was exactly going on in his mind.

"Three hundred years."

Hikari blinked; something didn't add up with all of this. If Mimi really had been sired three hundred years ago why had there been no murdered attached to her in the last centaury?

"Than what's she been doing for the past hundred years?" he questioned again in a neutral tone.

Koushirou chewed his lower lip as he shuffled the papers around on the table. "That's the weird part…a hundred years ago the Angel of Death stopped taking lives. And she's been fighting other vampires."

Yamato finally turned to face them and there was the ghost of a grin turning up on the corners of his mouth. "Thanks man. That's all I need to know."

This night was just getting stranger and stranger…

* * *

"_I hope she's okay."_

Sora rapped on Mimi's door anxiously and receiving no immediate answer began knocking even louder. She had a feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong when she had given Yamato Mimi's number. Her friend liked the vampire, it was so obvious, but she didn't have high hopes for the relationship.

Yamato was a Hunter. Mimi was a vampire. Hunters kill vampires.

Growing more and more concerned by the second she was about to shout for Mimi when the door creaked open slowly. She smiled in relief and said, "Mimi. Thank God you're okay-,"

She cut herself off as she had the chance to actually study the other woman. Mimi's coloring appeared paler than normal and her skin felt much colder as Sora brought her into a hug. Her honey hair hung limply and she wore a plain black blouse and a pair of worn and baggy blue jeans.

Mimi returned the embrace awkwardly and whispered, "I'm fine. You didn't have to check up on me." She closed the door with a snap and managed to give her friend a thin smile. "It's not like we're friends right?"

"Mimi…"

"No. It's fine. Who'd want to be friends with a vampire?"

A film of red covered Mimi's eyes and shimmered as she tried to blink them back. Red tinged tears coursed down her heart shaped face and she hastily brushed them away, leaving steaks of blood on her skin.

Sora wrapped her arms around the other woman again and walked them both over to the couch. Mimi sank into the hug and buried her face in the shapeshifter's neck as the werewolf rubbed her back gently.

"Why'd you come?"

"I wanted to."

"Why?"

"Because if it were me you'd have done the same thing."

"And I'm supposed to believe that?"

Sora frowned and teasingly poked Mimi on her forehead as the vampire tilted her face to stare up at her. "Dummy. You're my friend. I care about you. What's so hard to understand?"

"Thanks Sora."

"Yamato's an ass."

"…I keep trying to tell myself that too."

"Is it working?"

"No."

"That's good," called a masculine voice from the other side of the door. The two women jumped in shock and the voice chuckled. "It gives me a chance to defend myself. Now could you let me in?"

"…"

"Please."

Yamato.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Okay next chapter will be the big explanation chapter. Mimi's entire back story will be revealed, all of it. Please read and review. 


	21. The Curious History of a Vampire

_**Author's Notes: **_This story hasn't been updated in so long, people are probably going to end up knocking over their computers in shock. I just want to get one thing clear: _Love of an Enemy _is not going to be left unfinished; I have a very clear ending for each story in this trilogy in my mind and by damned they will be written and posted. However, I get stuck sometimes. This was one such, and long, episode of author's block. I know how I wanted this chapter to go, the problem was I couldn't get the right words to come.

But I think I got it now. Sorry, for all those who read this story and waited so long for a continuation. Now sit back, put _Buffy the Vampire Slayer _and _Angel _on in the background, and read.

* * *

"_Well I was there on the day  
They sold the cause for the queen,  
And when the lights all went out  
We watched our lives on the screen.  
I hate the ending myself,  
But it started with an alright scene."_

_-My Chemical Romance, "Disenchanted"_

_**

* * *

**_

_**The Curious History of a Vampire**_

Yamato was sitting on the couch between a vampire and a werewolf, with a cup of coffee in his hands. The said werewolf was staring at him unblinkingly, causing a few hairs on the back of his neck to raise, but he took a deep calming breath; he had known this woman for years and he would not let something as small as say, the ability to transform into a huge wolf-like creature, get in the way of that. Besides her expression softened somewhat and was now trying to communicate something to him.

The message, in all probabilities, was: _"Don't mess this up. I know you and I am not about to let you go all emo over this."_

He mentally nodded and glanced, out of the corner of his eye, at the vampire: her glistening honey hair shielded her face from his view, her legs had been pulled up from the floor to her chest and her arms encircled them. She had the certain stillness of one who did not have to breathe or even move an inch to survive.

Slowly, he reached out a hand and slicked back the hair covering her face; she startled at his touch, and turned to look at him and continued to stare when he did not pull away. She lifted her own hand and grabbed his, hesitantly, and a little fearful of scaring him off.

He did not flinch or move away.

And the two stayed in that position for a few seconds.

Sora felt extremely uncomfortable and let out a cough.

The two broke out of their own world and crash landed into reality. His gaze turned more neutral and he took both her hands this time, with more urgency than love, and asked in a no-nonsense tone, "Why are you helping us?"

"I have a soul."

His mouth fell open.

Sora laughed, "That was my reaction too."

Both ignored her and he pressed on, "I…you…what? There's been no case like this at all in the Records. How did this happen?"

Mimi sighed. "That's a long story." Neither occupant made any sign of changing the subject or leaving, so the vampire sighed again. "Fine. Let me start at the beginning."

She spoke of how her mother had perished shortly after giving birth to her, how her father had always been a kind, but sickly, man and how lonely he had been. She told of her stepmother, a cold woman who cared nothing for Mimi, and how the woman had secretly made her father more ill.

She had seen the older female at work, tampering with the medicine prescribed by the doctor, and the woman had seen her. That night before she could tell her father, he had been found dead by her stepmother, and practically all the neighbors had come to see.

She had been sold a little after that; her stepmother was simply unable to make ends meet and needed the income Mimi would make. And that was that.

Her life had become a huge blur after that, of men, and parities, and drinking, lots and lots of drinking. Then she had met Jyou and he changed her life forever…by painting it black.

She stopped to gather her thoughts and blinked at the intense expressions on her companions faces; Yamato had his teeth and fists clenched and Sora was glaring off into space.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that horrible. Don't look at me like that Yamato…you too Sora! There's bound to be people with stories like this all over the world. Nearly every vampire has some sort of sob story…"

They just looked at her.

"Whatever. Well, as you can imagine I wasn't a saint. I committed many horrible acts…did terrible things with chopsticks…

_

* * *

_

_She emerged from the burning home, Cheshire grin spread from ear to ear, and using the blood from the freshly used chopsticks scrawled out a message on a nearby tree. _

"_The Angel of Death has visited this house."_

"_Mimi, c'mon," growled a soot covered Jyou. He grabbed her by the arm and started tugging her along behind him. "The humans will get here any minute and if we have to be run out of town, by another angry mob, I'll be very…displeased with you."_

_She pouted; Jyou always had to spoil her fun. _

_She forgave him though, as they ran through the woods, and the two began to laugh as they ran, thrill of a recent kill sending adding adrenaline to their systems. The couple went on like this for some time; howling, dancing, pushing, and running until they could both feel the lighter hours drawing nearer. _

_They decided to stay at a small inn at the town nearest them when their enhanced hearing picked up a groaning sound. Mimi was interested, changed direction in mid-stride, and pursued the continual, though fainter, moans originating from the road stretching beside the forest. _

_A tall and thin youth lay spread out in the middle of the dirt path, blood pouring from his chest. She crept closer and inspected him; he was a young man who was pretty rather than handsome with dark hair spilling across a pale soft face. _

_Her foot dislodged a nearby rock by accident and eyes the color of the sky at midnight flickered open wearily. His speech was chocked as he stammered out, "What…are…you? Some…kind…of a…celestial…maiden…?_

_The pauses were caused by coughing and sobbing fits. _

_He did not have long to live._

_Mimi, in her usual style, made a rash decision. Her face rapidly changed to the one she wore when feeding and sunk her teeth into his lily pale flesh. He whimpered, but had not the strength to fight her off, and accepted his fate; he was barely hanging on, when she forced her blood into his mouth, and she had to hold him down to keep him from gagging. _

_After a few long, tense moments she pulled back, confident that he would change, and was not startled when Jyou's voice sounded from behind her. "We don't have time to bury him."_

"_Forget the burial."_

_He appeared next to her and without a word scooped up the soon-to-be vampire and hoisted the newborn over his shoulder. Mimi went to his left side and the two once again began to run. _

"_What are we going to do now?" asked her irritated lover and Sire. _

_She grinned. _

"_Well, I always wanted to know what it was like outside Japan."_

* * *

"_Think of this sensation has assurance that you are not yet dead."_

_The male Hunter currently being crucified with pieces of glass silently sobbed; his entire body above his waist was naked and covered in welts, burns, and the white of bone could be seen on places on his arms. His skin was pale but was now interminable due to the blood and wounds covering nearly every inch of skin. Shards of glass, pinning him to a tree, were placed through his wrists and feet. _

_Oh, and his mouth had been sewn shut. _

_Mimi, careful not to stain the expensive dress Jyou had bought for her, leaned forward and started licking the man's chest. He whimpered and she shivered in pleasure, hunger growing stronger, as her second face took over. _

"_Must you play with your food?"_

_She straightened and turned to watch as Jyou, appearing disdainful, and the vampire she had made nearly a century before, appeared fascinated. She ignored her lover and raised a welcoming hand to the younger vampire. _

"_Want to feed with me, Ken?"_

_He smirked grimly and, like sharks, swarmed the man. _

_

* * *

_

_The trio had grown smarter as the years passed; they had perfected the art of disposing their kills and had designed better methods and plots for the taking of lives. The family of sorts had also realized to really blend into the human world they needed to be more amiable and interested in the mortals' mundane lives. _

_They befriend humans, growing in their confidence, and becoming the sorts of friends nearly everyone wanted. _

_This also landed them wealth and property as some of their friends met with unfortunate ends, always remembering them in their wills. She had also been accumulating, though what she received where titles rather than names; she was no longer only known as the Angel of Death. _

_No, she was called a great many things now._

_Lilith._

_The Thief in the Night. _

_Delilah._

_Hunter of Men. _

_Daughter of Cain._

_Princess of Blood._

_No one was likely to forget her now. _

_

* * *

_

_Ken had found someone. _

_She watched from the shadows as he approached the lavish apartment of Inoue Miyako, the Japanese-born physic who had been bewitching nearly all of Europe. The woman was pretty, Mimi supposed, with her hazel eyes, thin body, and lavender hair, but would she make a good vampire?_

_She smirked. _

_What an oxymoron…_

_She jumped to the ledge of the apartment window and watched in interest as how Miyako, instead of being frightened of the intruder, remained calm and even embraced Ken as strode up to her. _

_Mimi guessed it would take a lot to surprise Miyako. _

_

* * *

_

_This American Hunter was good; Mimi would give the woman that. _

_She, Miyako, Ken, and Jyou had only been in New York for three days when the dark haired and eyed woman had tracked them down. They had put up a fight for her, the younger two especially, but in the end Mimi had been giving the honors and the other three were content to watch. _

_The two women, vampire and mortal, had proven to be equally matched. Neither had won or lost ground for long and Mimi could not remember anyone giving her this much of a challenge ever before._

_However, Mimi definitely had one advantage that would win out in the end. _

_She didn't tire so easily. _

_The woman was breathing heavily, perspiration dripping from her face, and knew her time was up. She stumbled and Mimi was upon her in the instant, fangs ripping into her, and precious life poured from her. _

_And she laughed. _

_Mimi startled. _

"_What are you laughing about?"_

"_I placed a curse on you. It was in my blood."_

_Mimi had no time to react as a great whooshing noise filled her ears and a beautifully eerie light slammed into her, filling her. When it disappeared Mimi felt a horrible sorrow and guilt for the first time in centuries. _

_The nameless people she had killed paraded in her mind's eye and she could no longer take it. _

_She heard the shouts of her comrades, the chortling of the Hunter, and made a split-second descion: she ran. She didn't stop until she was far away from everyone else, in a dark forest, and sank to her knees. _

_The Angel of Death, Lilith, The Thief in the Night, Delilah, Hunter of Men, Daughter of Cain, Princess of Blood curled into a ball and sobbed like a newborn babe. _

_And somewhere the dark haired Hunter died laughing. _

_

* * *

_

_She stayed in those woods a very long time. Her clothes where in shambles now, barely hanging on to her thin frame, her hair was wild and uncombed, and her face was covered in a thin layer of dirt. _

_In the light hours she slept in a cave or under a pile of leaves and earth. Her main source of food was rats though she was able to obtain the occasional deer or bird. She could no longer think or speak coherently; all her mind could focus on were the memories of the atrocities she committed and all she could speak were insane mutterings. _

_She wished she was dead. _

_No one upstairs listened to her. _

_And so she went on in her existence. People in the surrounding area talked of the ghost of a mad woman cursed to forever walk the Earth. They were closer to the truth than they thought. _

_And in wind, and in rain, and in snow, and in warmth she suffered. _

_Until one day when the light was gone and she woke in her cave she saw the dark haired and eyed Hunter. The woman was smirking at her and Mimi found she could not look at her. _

"_How pathetic…my murderer is reduced to a cowardly maniac. How embarrassing…"_

_Mimi did not speak. _

"_What? Not going to speak. Fine I'll do the talking."_

_Mimi did not even look up. _

"_Alright…I know you're sorry but what are you accomplishing by going on like this? Nothing."_

_Mimi lifted her eyes from the ground slightly, listening. _

"_You suffering like this does nothing, Mimi. If you truly want to make amends, or receive forgiveness, than you have to earn it."_

_Mimi stayed where she was, but she had risen in a half-crouch. _

_The woman yelled, "Go Now!" And with that she vanished into thin air. _

_The vampire stayed there for hours, pondering on the words. She walked to the mouth of the cage and stared out at the world, no longer seeing through a haze of insanity. _

_Her mind was clear. _

_Or she had just relinquished control of her madness. _

_She preferred to think of it as the former rather than the latter. _

_

* * *

_

_She had done quite well for herself in the last century. Her current status as a powerful billionaire was the perfect cover for her night time activities. _

_Namely, stalking and destroying the creatures that went bump in the night. _

_She hurried into her penthouse apartment and began stuffing has many items as she could into suitcases. There was no way she could take everything with her but she had a well furnished apartment in Tokyo that would have the necessities she couldn't bring with her. It was lucky then, that her desired destination was Japan._

_Something was going on back in her homeland. _

_Something involving Jyou, Miyako, and Ken. _

_And she was going to stop it. _

_Suitcase packed and tickets bought, she rushed out of her apartment, barely remembering to lock it, and into the night. She thanked whatever higher power had let her acquire this information on her former friends as she drove to the airport. _

_It was a good thing her kind loved to talk. _

* * *

"And that brings us to now," she finished and leaned back into the couch. 

The coffee in front of Yamato was cold and untouched and her audience was captivated by her past. The blond man had grabbed hold of her hand and was squeezing it gently and the female werewolf was staring at her in an awed silence.

Mimi managed a weak smile at their responses. "So…does that answer your questions?" They nodded. "So can I ask a question of my own?" They nodded again.

She turned to face Yamato completely and he tensed in anticipation.

"Can you accept me?"

He didn't speak. Instead he leaned forward and kissed her gently, almost innocently, on the lips. She pulled an arm around him, drawing him in closer, when a gagging noise was heard.

Sora rolled her eyes at the new couple.

"Get a room guys…"

"Sora!"

"What?"


	22. Distractions

**Disclaimer: **This has been a long time coming so I must apologize to the people who still care about this story and want to see how it ends. I lost all inspiration for this fan fiction and had no idea what to write and when to write it. I deeply apologize once more.

For the people who might have read the original version of this story, I'm going to warn you that the coming ending will be very different than the earlier version. And that is al the warning I will give.

I do not own _Digimon, _its characters, or characters from other shows that I have mentioned.

Now on with the story:

* * *

"_A house divided against itself cannot stand."_-Abraham Lincoln

"_Winter is coming."-_Stark family motto, _A Song of Ice and Fire_ series

_**

* * *

**_

_**Distractions**_

Sora had managed to hold herself in her wolf form for three hours before returning to human form and dressing. Veruca, her teacher, watched her dress with an expression akin to pride on her face. The other woman dragged Sora into an awkward but friendly one-armed hug as she tried to pass.

Veruca grinned at her and stated, "I'd never thought you'd pick up so fast on holding forms or my other lessons. You're very… disciplined."

Sora mentally snorted; disciplined didn't cover the half of it. She had been determined and a fighter since she had been old enough to walk, her alcoholic father had made sure of that. Growing up she always had to be faster, smarter, and adaptable to escape her father's drunken rages and the curses and blows that came with them. By this time her mother had long since been dead and cremated so she had no one, save herself, to defend her.

By eleven she had killed her first vampire. She hadn't even know that the legendary monsters had existed yet; her father had been tremendously drunk that night so she had crept out of their apartment to escape him and had been attacked by a vampire. Used to being attacked, she had pulled out a knife she stole from an older boy at school and always kept on her person into the creature's chest. It went through and the man crumpled to ashes right in front of her.

A Hunter had been there that night, had observed her kill the beast, and promptly sent her into training. Training to be a Hunter was hellish; everyday she was up at the crack of dawn running, weight training, learning martial arts, and learning how to wield a wide variety of weapons. At the end of each day she was also bruised and exhausted and collapsed into her bed.

Compared to both of those times, learning how to hold forms, change from human to wolf and vise versa at will, and transforming partially in her human state (she could make her hands into claws and grow her teeth into fangs) were all a piece of cake.

Seeming to sense the new werewolf's change in mood, Veruca ended the embrace and locked the warehouse after the two exited. Sora headed to her motorcycle when a call from the other female made her pause.

She turned her face to see the other woman grim and unsmiling. Veruca said, "Oz and I know that you're friends with other Hunters and Tachikawa Mimi. We know you'll help them fight so we both ask you not to drag the Pack into it whatever you do."

Sora nodded.

"I will never endanger the Pack. I swear to you and Oz as my Alphas."

She drove away on her bike leaving a pleased Veruca behind her.

* * *

Daisuke sat in a chair in Gennai's office a hand placed to his chest where the shining blue mark had been a few days ago. It had stopped glowing but the mark was still there, burned into his chest. Lady Catherine leaned against the wall near the door standing guard while Gennai faced him across the desk.

The older man began, "I know that you've learned about Arthur Pendragon, the Great King of Albion and the founder of our Order. But you have not been told everything."

"What?"

Gennai merely sighed at the look of betrayal on the young Knight's face. "Don't give me that look, Daisuke. Only the highest Knights in our ranks learn the whole of Arthur's story."

"Which is?"

Gennai glared at him.

"Before Arthur's final fight with Moredread, he told his remaining loyal Knights of the Round Table that he would die but be born again in another time. So after Arthur's death every generation of Knights wait for their great King to return to them. And that wait," he shot Daisuke a meaningful look, "is now over. You are the reincarnation of King Arthur, Motomiya Daisuke."

For the first time in his life, Daisuke was rendered speechless. However, it was only for an instant. He stood from his chair and a panicked expression drew over his handsome features. He shook his head and muttered, "You're wrong."

"The mark on your chest is proof Daisuke. You are our leader."

"No, I can't be. I'm not a King."

"Oh, would you stop your pathetic whining already," ordered Catherine, speaking for the first time since he had entered Gennai's office. "You're the King so deal with it. No amount of whining and crying is going to change that. So for God's sake, act like a man."

Daisuke glared at her. "I'm not crying."

She rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Now if that's over, O Fearless Leader, we have more pressing issues to deal with." She rummaged in her coat pocket and pulled out the machine that had been used to hurt Hikari. As Daisuke watched, she flipped it over to show him that Michael's name was written on it. He was the spell caster who had tried to kill the young Witch.

Gennai noted, with a trace of irony, "It seems we have a snake in our ranks."

Daisuke didn't hear him; wind was rushing in his hears and his hands clenched as his face flushed with rage. Michael had nearly murdered Hikari. So in Daisuke's eyes, the blond Knight had forfeited his life.

"He's dead."

* * *

Hikari's head felt like it was about to split open due to the shouting going on in the living room; Mimi, Yamato, and Sora had showed up twenty minutes ago while she, her brother, and Koushirou were discussing what they should do about the Mimi situation. When Yamato came in with Sora and the vampire in question all hell broke loose.

Taichi was against Mimi helping them stating that she was probably lying about having a soul and working with Jyou. Koushirou had been calmer about the situation but agreed with Taichi about the plausibility of Mimi's having a soul. Yamato and Sora rose in defense of Mimi and the four had been arguing back and forth since. Hikari was still undecided about the matter (people had a tendency to surprise her lately, the Daisuke problem was a firm testament to it).

Mimi, herself, had been oddly quiet. She just sat on the couch not speaking up to defend herself; she was gazing down at her hands folded on her lap, frowning. She had not even raised her face when Taichi made a rude remark about Yamato's trust in her coming from his pants.

"She's a vampire," Taichi spat out the word. "A blood-sucking monster who can't be trusted."

"Yes, we all know how you feel about monsters, Taichi," interjected Sora.

Hikari had been surprised that Sora willingly chose to come near her brother after his reaction to her being a werewolf. As she watched, Sora and her brother just stared at each other a moment from with mutual expressions of pain, regret, and love in their gazes.

Taichi broke eye contact first and scratched the back of his head.

"Sora…I…I didn't meant to…I l-," he broke off his sentence at that point but Hikari, and everyone else in the room, knew what he had been about to say. Sora looked at her brother softly for a moment before muttering something under her breath and stalking out the door.

Her brother looked heartbroken again and she wanted to hug him but knew he would get embarrassed if she did it in front of Yamato and Koushirou. Taichi was never one for the mushy stuff.

They all fell into silence after Sora left for one long moment before Yamato broke it.

"Well, Tai, you and Koushirou have made it clear that you don't trust my girlfriend." He turned to look at Hikari and she shivered under his intense blue gaze. "But what about you, Hikari? You haven't said anything since we got here."

She felt herself flush as the three men gazed down at her; Yamato looked hopeful, her brother confident that she would agree with him, and Koushirou looked blank his thoughts as always kept to himself. Nervous, she glanced over at Mimi but the vampire hadn't moved her position and inch.

She gulped and stuttered, "I…I'm not sure. She probably has a soul since, you know, she stopped killing people and stuff but she could be lying too. I think I'll play it safe and stick with Koushirou and my brother."

Yamato, disappointed, was about to say something when he was interrupted by Mimi. The woman had finally stood from the couch and raised her face to look at everyone around her. She walked over to Yamato, put at arm around him, and said, "I know where I'm not wanted. Let's go Yamato."

The couple left.

Hikari felt like a rat.

* * *

Sora had not been in the hallway when she and Yamato exited the Yagami apartment. Yamato told her that Sora probably was waiting at the car like she always did and Mimi just nodded silently. They got on the elevator in silence.

Mimi hadn't expected the others to accept her. Hell, if she had been in their position she wouldn't have believed herself either. She was sure that the idea of a vampire possessing a soul was completely insane sounding to them. But part of her had hoped that they would believe her.

Hope never lead to anything in her experience and she shouldn't have forgotten that.

"_I'm an idiot. I'm lucky that they didn't stake me on site."_

Suddenly, strong arms slipped around her waste and Yamato buried his face in her hear. She jumped started but he only tightened his grip around and began kissing her neck. A little moan escaped her lips and he kissed harder.

She allowed him to turn her around in his embrace but didn't allow him to continue. When he protested, she put her arms around his neck and kissed him firmly on the mouth. He ran his hands through her hair and the kiss only deepened.

She knew they would have gone farther had the elevator doors slid open on reaching the ground floor. Her sharp hearing picked up on him letting out a muttered oath and she giggled. When he stared incredulously at her, she whispered in his ear, "Let's do this at my place sometime. That way we can go all night long."

He grinned.

Sora was indeed waiting for them in front of the car and she gave the werewolf a small wave. The other woman gave her a strained smile before sliding into the backseat of Yamato's car. Mimi took shotgun and they drove off in a comfortable silence.

Forget the other Hunters.

As long as she had her new boyfriend and friend, Mimi didn't care what they thought of her.

**

* * *

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**Author's Notes: **I don't think this chapter came out that well. But that's just my opinion. Please read and review.


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